Pursued By Darkness
by Pinkie Dash Pony
Summary: When Franz Hopper's adopted daughter, Alice Hopper, who was thrown out of her dimension as a final strike of revenge from XANA, finally manages to return home, she finds out that XANA had been expecting her. What ensues is a nightmare that forces Alice to question and ponder everything that she has ever held dear, with the fate of two dimensions in her hands.
1. Chapter 1: The New Lyoko Warriors

This story began as an RP that me and my friend were doing together, but quickly developed into far more than that. This story was written by me and Xanta-Mun. I hope that you read it, and enjoy it.

– Pinkie Dash

**Chapter 1: The New Lyoko Warriors**

Xanatos Stones frowned as he walked quietly through the buildings of Kadic Academy. His facial expression was sullen, and he looked as if he had just gone through an expedition to the world of nightmares itself. His head was clammy with sweat, soaking his blue hair that hung down his back like a mane. His light black tunic, and dark black vest with golden embroidery were soaked as well. The sweat was mixed with tears that ran quietly down his cheeks. He made no attempt to wipe away the tears.

Alice stretched as she walked out of Math class. She looked around as everyone was giving a strange looking person a wide berth. Curious, she walked over to the blue haired figure. "Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good…" She asked.

Xanatos glanced at Alice, his face looking like it had seen a ghost. "Everybody's dead," he said quietly. "Everybody's dead, and this time there is no way for them to come back…"

Alice eyes widen with worry. Who could he be talking about? Who can't come back? "Hey now, It's can't be all that bed… Here, lets go sit on a bench outside and you can tell me all about it there…um…what's your name?" Alice asked, trying to be as comforting as possible.

Xanatos shook his head quietly. "I wasn't given a choice, see… They had to die. It was the only way to stop the world from coming to an end. So…" He looked up at Alice, a pained expression on his face. "I had to kill them…"

Alice tried to keep a straight face to the mysterious stranger, but inside, she was worried. Who is he talking about? Who had to die? "Could you tell me? Who had to die, why? I can't help you if you don't tell me sir." Alice said softly. Alice was never good in situations like this. She did the only thing she could think of and began to lead him over to a bench to sit down. She pulled out her thermos filled with her favorite soothing herbal tea and offered it to him.

"Friends of mine," Xanatos said with a sigh. "Most simply called them "monsters", but to me… no two of them were alike. Well… ok so I did sometimes get them confused, but who could blame me? There were thousands and they all looked more or less alike. No true intelligence… thus why I was forced to kill them in cold blood."

He looked at the tea and shook his head. "Your customs can't cheer me up. I've tried everything from parties, to lotteries, to presents, to eating. None of those kind of things ever helps." He stared down at his hands quietly. "I killed them… permanently. All of them… murderer…"

Alice took a sip of the tea and then put it away. "So, what are these friends of yours? Who are they?" Alice asked sweetly, trying to understand the situation better. 'He looks like someone after a XANAification. I hope that I'm wrong…' Alice thought as she began to worry about the stranger.

"Friends of mine," Xanatos asked, rubbing his eyes and looking at the girl for the first time. "People call them monsters, heartless and cruel, but it ain't the case. They are just incredibly loyal and obedient. But who are they… Kankrelats, Mantas, Hornets, Blocks, Krabs, Megatanks, Tarantalas and Creepers." Nodded his head, solemnly. "My friends…"

Alice's eyes widen in shock when he finally revealed the names of his so called 'Friends' She slowly looked over at the stranger again, her mind racing with the possibilities of who he could be. 'Is…is it possible that this random stranger…no he can't have worked for XANA… but who else would call those digital horrors 'friends' If he is then….could he be after me? After all, XANA has left me alone on this world so far….I have to find out!'

Alice put on a serious face and turned to the stranger. "My full name is Alice Hopper. I have to know, no, need to know who you are before I do something drastic and stupid. How do you know about those creatures?"

"They are dead now. All of them. I killed them. I am a murderer. You, Alice Hopper, are talking to a murderer. Does that fact *not* bother you?" Xanatos asked with a cold stare as he glared at her. "I don't want to talk about it." He sighed. "For the sake of humanity, I had to destroy everything that matters to me. So don't. you. dare. demand anything more of me. I have nothing left to give…" With that he trailed off and looked away from Alice, his eyes once again swimming with tears.

Alice instantly regretted her words as she listened to the stranger. "I…er…I'm sorry. It's just that those friends of yours have tried to kill me multiple times." Alice stared down at her feet. She racked her brain for something good to say.

"No, It doesn't bother me to talk to someone who calls themselves a murderer. I've talked to multiple people like that when I was in prison. It's just that…I've been fighting for my life against XANA and to hear someone say that they were friends with his monsters just put me on edge." Alice sighed as she kept those painful memories away from her head.

Alice looked towards the stranger as she wondered why was it necessary to kill off all of XANA's monsters. She won't shed a tear for them, but why was it necessary? "If I may ask, how was humanity threaten by them? The real threat to humans is XANA, not his monsters.' Alice asked, but instantly had a thought pop up in her head. "Wait…If they were your friends…. Did you…work for XANA?" She asked with a tone of worry.

"Silly Girl," Xanatos said with a shake of his head. "No. I never *worked* for XANA. My name, as I told you, is Xanatos. But some people spell it XANA-tos."

Alice jumped to her feet and look incredulously at him. Her eyes widen in fear as she tried to get a handle on the situation. 'No…no that can't be….He can't be…He never said his name before… What in the name of Lyoko is going around here?!' Alice shook her head as she looked over to the stranger that just admitted to be her worst enemy. The enemy that has ruin her life and forced her out of her own home. The enemy that killed her soul mate. "Yo-you never said your name before…So you're this world's XANA? But…why would you destroy your own monsters?" Alice asked Xanatos.

"I never said I was this world's XANA Miss Hopper. It just so happens that this is *not* my world. My world…well… Scyp took over everything. He mind-controlled my family, my sweet and beautiful monsters, and was going to use them to destroy humanity. I tried to talk sense into them… but they're animals, lacking that deep sense of intelligence we have. I… I had to do something or my best friend, Jeremie Belpois, and his world would have been killed." Xanatos winced quietly.

"This would be the second time I sacrificed my life for him, after he foolishly tried to kill me for two entire years!" He shook his head. "I never had any intention of ruling or destroying your planet. I just wanted you humans to LEAVE ME ALONE!… Took me near victory, and then a weird program before I learned the truth that humans can be decent and kind. Since then… we have been fighting Scyp."

Xanatos was quiet thinking. "My closest friend becomes my arch-enemy because my arch-enemy becomes my best friend. How messed up is that?" He looked quietly at Alice. "All I ever wanted was to get you humans to leave Lyoko both 'on' and 'alone'."

Alice sat back down as she listen to his tale. She reached down and pulled out her thermos of tea and took a big sip to calm herself before she talked to him. "So, this is not your world either. Heh, welcome to the traveling club. You have to understand where I'm coming from. My XANA forced me out of my world and has sent me from world to world, he hoping some other version of him will do what he could not and kill me. All because I helped Franz create Lyoko…I'm sorry if I was sorta cold there before. I've been traveling for so long, lived through so many attacks…" Alice paused and took another sip of tea. A sense of calm filled her as her favorite herbal mix kicked in.

"So, let me see if I got your story straight. Scyp, the Scyphozoa I presume, took control over you monsters. He is the one that want to take over and destroy us humans. All you ever wanted was to be left alone on Lyoko. So you befriended Jeramie, and I presume the other warriors as well, to work together to stop Scyp. And just now, you killed all of your old monster friends. Wow…that's…wow" Alice finished as the truth of this world sink into her mind.

"To be honest, this world is very fascinating. I'm not trying to make light of what you had to do, I'm just admiring the interesting twist of fate this world has compared to others I've been to." Alice looked at her feet as she talked. She put down her tea and looked into his eyes. "You can count on my help in stopping him. It would be my honor to aid you on your mission to stop him and help you live in peace on Lyoko. Just tell me what you need."

"You already missed the ending of that story, Girl. And you were a little confused. The Anti-Xana tried to kill me and Jeremie saved me. Scyp betrayed me only after I stopped trying to scare humans away and accepted them instead. Didn't realize how much he hated them. So, he tried to kill me and a lot of things happened. Scyp is immortal and cannot be killed, though his body can be destroyed and power stopped for a while. In the end, I had no choice but to permanently sever the connection between earth and the virtual worlds."

"When I did that, I had to be on the Lyoko side. Lyoko, the main connection would be destroyed, and the other worlds would run thier natural course. However, when Lyoko was destroyed… I ended up… well… here." -motions around him with a frown- "No idea what this place is, but it isn't my world or my earth. Scyp is gone for good, and the sever makes it impossible to get back even if a person *can* travel dimensions."

"So…" he trailed off. "I've been hurled onto this other… "world" did you call it?"

"Hmmm…" Alice mumbled as she got up and paced around. "I see…Well that explains why I've been left alone for so long here. Usually XANA comes after me after a day or two. I've been here for a week so far. So there is no Lyoko here then… The world I help create with Franz is gone." Alice sighed and rubbed her eyes a bit. "Is there any way to make a new connection? Like maybe a new virtual world on a new supercomputer. I can make a new one for you. I watched Franz make the original one, so It can't be that hard to make a new one." Alice asked him, trying to find a solution to his problem.

"Yes, this is a different world. There is a whole muti-verse out there. Heck, I'm proof of that! You see… My Jeremie was about to pull the digital plug on my XANA when he launched one last ditch effort to kill me. All because I'm one of the creators of Lyoko. He tore open a portal to other worlds and threw me in. He placed some kind of a barrier on my home world that's stopping me from returning. I've been jumping from world to world, seeking out a way back home. Not to mention help the warriors save the world when needed. So yeah, welcome to the travelers club. Population, us."

"I sealed it off permanently," Xanatos replied with finality. "I expected to die by being severed, along with the connection. However, here I stand. There is no way back to that world. I made sure that the earth was severed from any possible other dimensions. Nothing can change that. As weird as you may think it, no matter what you do on a computer, a virtual world is now physically impossible to create."

"But I think it you can do it on this world… because it *isn't* mine." He pointed at a group of kids walking by, laughing and talking. "This wouldn't be happenning in my world. Kadic Academy doesn't exist, and…" He pointed at Jeremie Belpois and his friends talking next to the soda pop machine. "They weren't that young."

"Hmm?" Alice looked over to where he was pointing. She watched the Lyoko Warriors grabbing drinks and talking. "I wonder….if when you came here, you traveled a bit back in time as well. It could of been one final bug on the return trip program. I mean, if they are young here and the fact that Kadic is still up and running, it could be possible." She shrugged as she tried to find the logic in all of this.

"It's really not very complicated," Xanatos said with a sigh. "This isn't your world, your Kadic, your Jeremie. And it isn't my world, my Kadic, or my Jeremie either. I am in a world that is not mine, just as you are in a world that is not yours."

Alice nodded her head as everything started to make sense. She gazed towards the gang and a smile was reached across her face. "Well then, since we are both new here… We should do the proper thing and introduce ourselves." Alice smiled. "If we can't do anything back in our worlds, then we can at least be here to help this one. The fight against XANA here still rages on, we should use what we know to help them. It's what I've been doing every time I enter a new world. After all, it's only a matter of time until this XANA finds me here and comes after me." Alice suggested to Xanatos.

Xanatos cracked his knuckles, and small blue sparks flew off of them as a slightly crazed grin crossed his face. "I'd look forward to taking myself down a couple of notches. Tell ya what. Since I am new to this, I'll follow your lead. Just point me in the right direction so that I can go and knock some heads together."

Alice raised an eyebrow at Xanatos. "Er, You do realize that they are going to be our friends, right?" She rolled her eyes and began to walk over to the warriors. AS she walked, ideas formed in her head as to how to introduce her and Xanatos without causing a scene. She doubled check that her sleeve was covering her tattoo. After all, there was no need for them to think she is working with XANA, well their XANA… She smiled as she reached them.

"Hey there… Jeremie was it? You guys wouldn't have a minute to talk about something important?" Alice asked the blonde.

Xanatos nodded his head and then grinned. "I was talking about…" he paused for a long moment, quietly thinking. "the "monsters" that we are going to be fighting. I suppose I wouldn't really enjoy it all that much, since I see them more like animals than monsters, but I would love to screw up Scyp's plans in whatever ways I can. For that, I would do most anything."

Jeremie looked up at them when Alice asked him. "Er, sure…Alice was it? What can we help you with?" He asked Alice and Xanatos, eying them with suspicion. "I was just wondering if there is anything…weird happening lately? Like any short circuits, people acting strange, er…swarm of rats trying to take over the world?" Alice asked as her eyebrows lifted up. She nervously chuckled as she waited for him to answer.

Xanatos nodded his head quietly, remembering those moments in his head with a frown of discomfort. He hoped very much that the XANA of this dimension was a bit more twisted and evil than he had been. Another idea had presented itself to him, but he was hesitant to even entertain such a thought until he knew more about what was going on at Kadic. From there, he would figure out what his best course of action would be. For the moment, he simply stood there silently, letting Alice do all of the talking,

Alice talked back and forth with Jeremie and the others, trying to get them to understand where they were coming along. After talking with them for roughly ten minutes, they all got on the same page and accepted Alice and Xanatos. "I get your back story there Alice, but can you explain yours again there…er… Xanatos was it?" Odd asked, scratching the back of his head as he talked.

"Um…" Xanatos stammered, pretty sure that if he said, "I'm XANA," they would attempt to mass murder him on the spot. "I'm… uh… Alice's brother from one of the dimensions she visited. I was possessed by him for a while, kind of like William. After she helped me to kill XANA, he saw me as a traitor and hurled me through the dimensions as well." Xanatos frowned as he said it, glancing at Alice with a look that told her he wanted her to agree to his story.

Alice nodded her head in agreement. She kinda figured that he would think up something like that. The last thing they needed was for them to hurt him because of who he used to be. "Er, Yeah. He's unique to one of the worlds I stopped at. So…what has XANA been up to lately? He's left me alone here for quite some time now. Usually by now he come after me, or exposes you guys to me." Alice asked the group.

"Well…" Aelita said, quietly. "XANA wasn't around for very long, really. They killed him off pretty much right after activating the supercomputer. All they had to do was use a virus my father told them about, and XANA was gone."

Alice's heart skipped a beat as she took in what she was saying. Could she really be in a world without him, well the evil him. Xanatos seems to e on the right side compared to the others. "So…he is really gone for good here? Is this really a world without XANA?" Alice hopefully asked. "I…I always dreamed of finding a world where that was true. A place where I don't have to look over my shoulder constantly anticipating a spectre or a Scyphozoa to come after me. Please…I have to know. Is he REALLY gone here?"

"*The* Scyphozoa," Xanatos corrected with a frown. "There is only ever one of them. If you think that because the body gets destroyed and you see another one… its a different one you're wrong. He simply cannot die, and ends up at times bodiless. Then creates a new body, but is the same twisted and evil Scyp."

"Huh?" Ulrich asked, a frown across his face as he looked both slightly impatient and annoyed. In fact, all of the Lyoko Warriors had looks on their faces that seemed to be saying that Alice and Xanatos were crazy.

"Um…" Aelita said awkwardly. "We assume he's dead. At the very least, that's what my father tells me. You could ask him if you wanted to though. He just recently got rehired as Kadic Academy's science teacher."

Alice rolled her eyes at Xanatos for correcting her. She meant seeing one in every world she been on. She was about to say something, but Aelita's words sunk into her head. The Professor, Franz, was alive?! That…it can't be! "He…He is here? Franz is…. Yes. I think I will see him. It's been so long. I just wish it was my Professor, My adopted father. Not to sound strange, but back in my world he was trapped on the network by XANA. Do you know where I can find him?" Alice asked, trying to keep her voice as normal as possible.

Aelita and the others shared a slightly awkward look. Yumi was the one who spoke up this time though. "He goes by Professor Hopper. It is considered disrespectful to call him something *that* formal before you have even met him."

Odd shook his head and glanced at Alice like she was some kind of awesome space alien. "The stuff you were saying earlier… how could you possibly know so much and yet be so ignorant… unless it was true." Everyone, even Jeremie, had to agree that he made an interesting point.

Aelita, still wary of anyone who made absolutely no sense to her, quietly answered Alice's question. "I suppose he's probably in the teachers' lounge. It's the building beside the garage that holds the school bus. But… students aren't typically allowed in there." Xanatos, true to his word, did nothing as he waited for Alice to give directions.

Alice rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to think up what to say. "Yeah, I better be formal with him when I see him. And yes, I know about how things are on other worlds. But I'm still new to this one." Alice shyly told them. "Think of it like this, I've been to worlds were Jeremie was the bad guy to watch out for. A world where Yumi's telekinesis power destroyed Kadic Academy. A world where Jeremie never turned on the supercomputer and you guys were not friends. The only thing that has ever been consistent in my life is that on every world I've been to, there are two things. XANA and Lyoko.

"XANA is always there, trying to kill me. Lyoko is always somewhere nearby. Not to mention that each Lyoko I've been to recognizes me as one of its creators. You have to understand, I've been fighting XANA my entire life since my Franz Hopper adopted me from an orphanage at the age of ten. You guys can't imagine my joy and happiness to not only find out that, er, Professor Franz is alive and out of the network but that XANA is gone. It's like I've stumbled into a slice of happiness." Alice tried to explained to them.

Now the Odd wasn't the only Lyoko Warrior staring at Alice like she was a crazy alien. Even Xanatos had joined the club of those staring at her. "I'm sorry," Aelita said quietly, "what does my father have to do with the creation of Lyoko anyways? It's like you are linking to the two of them together. You do realize that all my father has ever tried to do was defeat XANA, and that *XANA* was the one who created Lyoko, right?"

Jeremie's mouth was hung in a deep frown. "You telling me that you are "technically" Aelita's sister? Yeah, last time somebody came claiming that it was an assassin sent by Dark Moon." He removed his glasses and a scar could be seen over one of his eyes which was listless. In other words, he was blind in one eye. "I wouldn't go around claiming something like that."

Alice stared surprised at them. "Er, I get the feeling that I'm missing something important here…maybe you guys better fill me in about the, er, history of your world." Alice chuckled at them.

The Lyoko Warriors exchanged glances, before Ulrich spoke up. "Sorry, but we really don't know you, and you haven't been able to offer any proof of your story. As far I we know, you are one a spy of one of our enemies. As such, there is no way we can go into detail about what we know."

Jeremie raised his eyes at Alice. "We aren't the most trusting people, and I'm sorry if it wasn't like that in the other worlds you went to. If, after simply hearing that story, the other Warriors were willing to tell you everything, either they knew a lot more about that kind of thing happening, or they were idiots. Give us proof, anything at all, to support your claims."

Alice sighed. Yeah it figures she would run into a world like this one… "Well, since XANA is not around to attack me, as he usually does by now…Then there are three things. One, You can let me access the supercomputer and show you that Lyoko recognizes me as a Creator of it. For some reasons, every world I have been to Lyoko sees me as thus. But I'm guessing that this option is out of the question. Two…" Alice paused and sighed. She rolled up her sleeve and revealed the Yellow Eye of XANA/Lyoko Tattoo on her right forearm.

"Two is this. It is to show that, back home at least, I'm a Lyoko Guardian and I bear a copy of the Keys to Lyoko. I can not only access any terminal on Lyoko, but I can deactivate the towers as well. Before you jump to any conclusions. This is the symbol of Lyoko. The center dot is the core, Sector five. The outer ring is Lyoko's other sectors. The ring around them all is the network that hides and protects Lyoko. These three dashes are the three scanners that allow you to by-pass the network to get onto Lyoko. Finally, this top dash is the supercomputer that hosts Lyoko."Alice really hoped that this new information would prove herself as it has on other worlds. But she had a feeling that they needed some thing more…

"Third…Well, it's something really special to me that I keep close to my heart. I always keep it in my pocket, so when I was kicked off my world, it was with me." Alice reached into her pocket and pulled out a small worn out folded piece of paper. She slowly opened it up to reveal a photo. In the photo was the Hermitage. Standing by the gate was Franz, Aelita, Alice and a blonde haired boy with glasses. The boy was Doodle Hopper, a fellow orphan that Franz took in. Alice and Doodle were actually deeply in love, at least, until XANA killed him. Alice thrush the photo out into the air for the others to see.

"This was taken two weeks before Franz and Aelita went to Lyoko. A week before the blonde there, Doodle, died from a XANA attack. He…He died in my arms before the return trip could activate." Alice looked at her feet as she spoke. Tears for the boy she loved ran down her face.

"Incredible," Xanatos said, moving his head to look at the tattoo in all directions. I always wondered what that symbol was supposed to mean." The Lyoko Warriors, however, were staring at the picture incredulously. Jeremie took it from Alice and examined it carefully, making sure that it was indeed genuine.

Aelita was simply silent, staring at Alice as if she were some sort of ghost. "You…" she sighed quietly, before looking at Jeremie and the others. Then she stepped forward and whispered into Alice's ear. "You… you're supposed to be dead, you do know that right? Be careful." Then she stepped back into her former position before anybody else could notice she had moved.

"It's genuine…somehow," Jeremie said incredulously, sharing a look with Ulrich, Odd and Yumi. Aelita avoided his eyes on the pretense of being shy. "That means… in some way, shape, or form, this girl really is your sister, Aelita." The other Lyoko Warriors smiled, but Aelita simply shook her head.

"We need to go to class, guys…" she said quietly. Then she motioned her head in the direction. As the Lyoko Warriors turned to go, Aelita wrote something on a small piece of paper and handed it to Alice, hidden from the others by the picture. On it were written the words "Don't let Franz know you are here. Speak with Emily LeDuc. BE CAREFUL!"

And there is chapter one. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review and let me know what you thought.


	2. Chapter 2: Emily LeDuc

**Chapter 2: Emily LeDuc**

Alice rolled down her sleeve as she watched the others run off to class. She looked down and read the note. She raised an eyebrow at it and showed it Xanatos. "Er, so Franz is the big bad wolf here. I guess it is a good thing I am rolled under the name of 'Alice Muto' instead of Hopper. But what can Emily tell us?" Alice asked, hoping he might have some kind of a clue.

"You're asking me?" Xanatos asked with raised eyebrows. "You're the one who spends her life traveling from world to world. If anybody would know anything about this, it would be you! Have you never gone to a world where Emily was more than just… a random person?"

Alice scratched her chin as she reached for her bag. "Hmm…I can check my log book. I've been recording all of the different worlds I"ve been to. Who knows…I might re-visit a world…" Alice grabbed her laptop and opened up the log. She did a search for any mentioning of Emily.

"Well, I've run across a world where everyone was the opposite gender„,But Emily was just someone named Eric who was badgering Ulkina, er Ulrich, into going out on a date with him. Then there is one where she did help Jeremie once with the Supercomputer, but her memory was erased by the return trip." Alice told him. She sighed and put the computer away. "Well, I guess after class we can go talk to her. Do you need to use my laptop to enroll here? I guess you better become a student here."

When Alice entered the classroom, Aelita was sitting at her desk staringly dreamly at Jeremie's back. However, she glanced non-chalantly towards the door when it opened, and her eyes widened. She quickly motioned for Alice to step back outside the classroom. "Jer," she said quickly, "I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

She stood up, slipped outside and gave Alice an 'are-you-crazy' look? "Have you forgotten what I said already, Diane?" She blinked and rolled her eyes, "I mean… Alice. Look, Franz can *not* know you are here right now. I don't care what you have to do. Stay *away* from him, and that means do *not* go to his class, where he could easily be staring at you for at least an hour."

Alice turned pale after hearing footsteps and quickly pushed Alice into a closet. "Stay there for now. Don't move until Emily comes for you." Then she closed the door and cheerfully said, "Father! I was just to the bathroom. I'll be to the class shortly" Her voice was bright, happy and full of adoration. Either Aelita was a really good actor, or she truly loved her father. The two of them headed off in opposite directions

Alice tried to argue with her before she got shoved in, but Aelita ignored her. Alice listen until she heard the footsteps die down. She sighed and sat down on a nearby box of floor cleaner. "Did she honesty think that I would allow Franz to stare at me? I had the sick card all ready to go…" Alice glanced down at her watched and sighed. "Great… Now I'm going to get a detention for playing hookie from his class! He knew there was a new student about to start today with him. I guess I better find Emily now instead of after classes. Now where could she be…?" Alice mumbled to herself.

She stood up and dust off the white power of the cleaner. She reached for the Handle at the same time that it turned. Panicky, she looked around for some place to hide. She spotted a trash can and jumped in. She told herself not to look at what smelly thing she was on. Alice glanced over the rim of the can to get a good look at who was opening the door.

"You weren't thinking about leaving the closet, were you?" Emily stood there, a smirk across her friendly face. She brushed the hair out of her face and straightened her glasses. "Seriously Diane, if… I mean… Alice, secrecy is very, very important right now. Dark Moon assassins are everywhere. Revealing yourself to the Kadets a little while ago was ridiculously dangerous. For now, steer clear of letting anybody know who you really are.

"Also, I really hope you are as good at science as you have claimed to be, because you are going to receive personal science-teaching by resident genius Aelita Stones. She managed to convince Franz that having the new science genius in a science class with all the normal kids would be a waste of time. Also, don't just fool-hardly trust anybody. Me and Aelita suspect that somebody in the Kadets is actually working for Dark Moon. Also," Emily reached out and pulled Alice into a hug, "it's good to have you back."

"I…what…huh? Wa-HEY!" Alice tried to talk before Emily gave her a hug. Alice pulled back and look at Emily like it was the first time she ever seen the real Emily. "Alright, I'm going to need the Reader Digest version here. Who are these Dark Moon Assassins? How did you guys destroy XANA? Who exactly are the Kadets? The Lyoko warriors of this world? How in the heck did you get involved into all of this? And why is Franz the wolf here?

"I've never been to this world before! I need some real answers, I need to know what am I facing here in this world! If XANA did not force me here, than what evil-loving person or group is coming after me this time?" Alice spewed out of her mouth at high speed. Alice was fed up with everyone acting like she was the crazy one. "And also, why is everyone calling me Diane? Who was she, anyways?"

Emily looked at Alice with pitying eyes. "Because that is who you are… Don't tell me the weirdnesses messed with your head too Alice Hopper. The world has actually become very complicated and complex. That was just your cover name, in the same way that Franz Hopper is his cover name. Diane Schaeffer… I remember you, even if you do not. Both you and Doodle. This… is actually the world that you were originally sent away from. You're home."

"No…no I can't be…This can't be…but the barrier XANA placed…Jeremie's eye…Diane…I'm Alice! That's the official name on the adoption papers! But you know Doodle….no, I-I don't believe you! Now please! Tell me the honest truth! PLEASE! NO MORE MIND GAMES! I've suffered too much, loss so much…" Alice look incredulously at Emily, spewing whatever came to her mind. She shook her head no and slowly backed away from her. She tripped on a broom and fell to the ground.

Alice grabbed her head as she tried to cope with what was happening around her. "This must be another XANA trick! I just can't…it can't be! Home…can I really be back home? After who knows how long, could I really be back? Could it finally be all over?" Alice mumbled to herself, not knowing who to trust anymore here on this world.

Emily's face fell at Alice's excitement. "Alice… Please don't get over-excited. It's… it's not as good as you might think. You see, to most people in this world you do not exist. You… thought you saved us from XANA… and in a way you did, but… She winced, "He wanted to do more than keep you from your world forever, he wanted to erase you from existence, to make it so that even if you ever returned to your world, you would never know it.

"There are a few people who have been waiting for your return, but mostly you have been forgotten. I don't really know how to say it, or how exactly it worked, but XANA did something with his supercomputer as he died. This you knew, what you didn't is that you weren't the only thing effected.

"The world itself was rewritten, transformed into its own dimension that started shortly after XANA was destroyed. You see, nobody who died before the supercomputer went hay-wire could come back to life. You know this rule as well as I do. For all of us, we awoke in this dimension with the other feeling like a dream. For those who decided it was nothing more, it faded like any dream will, until they remember nothing. Over time, this has happened to practically everybody, and that other dimension never existed."

"A few people, however, do remember it. I am the only one on your side who does, and have been waiting for your return, in order to set things right. Aelita… wasn't willing to let the dream go, and thus remembers vague pieces of it. That's why she knew to send you to me. The only others who know are Franz Hopper and the Dark Moon organization. Both want you dead. Reason is that somehow you can undo this dimension and bring the true one back. In that one, Franz was seconds from death. It means the moment you go back, he will die. As much as he may care about you, he doesn't want to die for you.

"Dark Moon rules this world, and they aren't going to be happy about your arrival either. They want to stay in command. But don't fool yourself into thinking this world revolves around you, regardless of the fact that all of us are waiting for your return. The Kadets have been fighting against Dark Moon, because they want revenge for XANA being destroyed. As soon as the Kadets are out of the picture, they plan on creating a brand-new one. This, you see, was XANA's plan. A way to remove you from existence, and revive himself. You couldn't return because he was still preparing it for the day that you did. If you are here now, that must mean that he thinks he is ready to destroy you himself. That means, the Kadets are going to die today."

Alice looked up at Emily as she listen to the fate of this…no her world. Alice knew that if this was XANA, this was way too elaborate of and attack. Too…grand, to many places for errors to exist. Deep down, Alice could feel the happiness finally break into her heart at the thought of her journey being over. Alice slowly stood up and faced Emily.

"So, hang on…let me just check that I'm hearing you right. This is my home world, just..different from the fall of XANA. So people don't remember their past self and think their old life was a dream? Well, that would explain why the other warriors, or Kadets are they called now, did not recognized me right away until I showed them my photo. And this Dark Moon group…they actually WANT XANA to come back? They want a murderous, evil AI that wants to rule over all of humanity to RETURN? Are they nuts, or did their power go to their heads?" Alice paused as everything fell into place in her mind.

"And so now, because I can set thing back, both Dark Moon and XANA are going to attack and come after me? Well, I'm use to XANA attacks by now. He has tried on each world I have visited to kill me. That is what XANA told me when he first threw me into the portal to the void between worlds. He wanted some other version of him to do what he failed to do. And the others…we HAVE to warn them of the impending attack. Not to mentioned Xanatos. He came from another world as well. He..well…I'll let him tell you about himself. He said he was going to become some kind of a worker here to stay close as we tried to figure out what was going on around us."

Alice smiled as one final thought went thought her mind. "I get why this Dark Moon people and XANA want me dead, But why would Franz? He is-er-was my Adopted father. He saved me from a terrible fate from the orphanage. He gave me a purpose in life, a place to call home. HE always was happy to see me and to be around me. Why would he want me DEAD? What happen to my sweet Professor?"

"The other Kadets didn't recognize you, period. To everybody except me, Aelita, Franz, and Dark Moon that other world did not exist. And… in all honesty… it is my belief that when XANA gets recreated it'll be an upgrade of the original, meaning simply that this new XANA will be the same old XANA that sent you away. Your first opponent will be your new one, except much improved. Dark Moon seems to think they can control him. After all, this new world so that they think they did, except that none of that stuff really happened. As Aelita told you, XANA is currently dead, but we are unaware of when Dark Moon will finish upgrading and reviving him.

"Franz Hopper is still really sweet and charming. In most ways he is about the nicest person one could ever meet. However, as I tried to explain, somehow you are supposed to destroy this dimension. In other words, get *your* world back to being… well… your *original* world. When that happens, it'll revive where it picked up… and Franz will finish dying. The fact that he is on this new world means that he gets to live. Therefore, me and Aelita expect one of two things. Either… you end up redeeming your old world and Franz dies, or this new world becomes the real one because you die. According to this logic, one of you is going to have to die. Franz… doesn't want it to be him.

"As for the Kadets, they worship Franz Hopper. I am worried they might report this strange occurrence to him. Avoid the Kadets at all costs, as being around them could easily lead to your death. Though… your being here means they are in danger. It could very easily mean XANA 2.0 has finally been created."

Alice sighed as everything fell into place. "I guess I should of know that of Franz. He never loved me as much as he did Aelita. She was the angel of the family, while Doodle and I were just lucky to have a home. Whatever she wanted, she got. Deep down, I always knew he loved her more than me. I guess he rather be with Aelita than watching me live. He must of forgotten our pact.

"I promised him that if something ever happen to him that I would keep her safe. Aelita never knew that I had it all set up, when XANA was dead I would return back to being 24 and adopt her. It would make us an official family once more. I would play the part of a once falsely accused prisoner who found a girl who was without a family that was just like her long-lost sister." Alice sat down on the box of cleaning solution again.

"But how could the others forget me? Jeremie always enjoyed my help in coding programs for Lyoko, using my Administrator access to pull what ever we needed. Ulrich and mine sparing matches in the woods with wooden swords. Helping each other get better at controlling them. All of those shopping trips and spa days with Yumi, how could she forget all of the thing we would gossip about.

"And Odd… how could he, above all, forget me. He promised me he would remember me always, to keep me close in his heart. He…he.. kissed me before XANA could pull me away. He said he would wait for me, that he was an idiot for not figuring out sooner what my heart knew all along. How could he just forget me…just like that?" Alice placed her hands on each side of her head, as sadness creep over her. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes at the lost memories she held close to her heart.

"Those memories are what kept me going through my journey. The knowledge that they were all waiting for me. I just can't believe that XANA would do something this. He filled me with false hope that here, at least, was not only XANA free, but finally at peace. The war was suppose to be over. The hope that when I did return, I could have my family of friends back and we could move on with our lives." Alice sighed, looking at her feet as she talked. Alice stood up and faced Emily, a look of determination on her face.

"I may not know what to do. I may not know if I like the idea of Franz wanting me dead. But I am certain that I can't just let XANA and this Dark Moon group get away with what they have done. I'm here to help set things right, even if I do not know what that is. So, what is our next move here Emily? I'm ready to continue the fight."

Emily's face fell. "If… if it's any consolation, it's not like the purposefully chose to forget about you. I tried to explain it… more like a dream. The dreams you believe really happened always haunt your mind, but the bad or complex dreams float away like a fog. The moment they decided it had been nothing more than a horrible dream, it disappeared like smoke. Somehow… XANA designed the world to work that way."

"Me… I was the only one who refused to give up that dream. I'd rather not talk about it, but there were some things in that version of the world that I was *not* willing to dismiss as dreams. As for your pact, it is my belief that like me Franz Hopper has forgotten nothing. I think it has more to do with being able to look after Aelita himself without worrying about XANA, and wanting that more than allowing you to watch over her.

"Strange as it may be, in this world, he has no responsibility over whatever happens with XANA. As such, he isn't willing to die for something that is no longer his fault. Basically, you are going to end up killing him. He simply wants to… you know… not let you kill him. I'll be honest. Everything I've learned has been either from Aelita telling me what she can still remember, or spying on Franz Hopper or Dark Moon warriors. From what I can tell, all of this has something to do with Lyoko.

"In other words, somehow it can all be undone." Alice pulled out her notebook and began to draw in it. "Imagine us like a straight line like this: —. That is how time is supposed to work. However, Lyoko has altered that so that it goes more like this: - —, and a second branch/world has been created. Somehow you can snap time back the way it was, destroying everything that happened here and making *this* the bad dream. Sadly, it would mean you were doing here what XANA did to your world.

"Everybody who is in this new one will be killed, destroyed, wiped out as if they had never existed. However, we will have our world back, and Franz will be once again dead. Aelita… who has miraculously managed to get her father back, will become an orphan. The Kadets will be gone… but your friends and your Odd will be back. You have the ability to choose which world exists. In other words, you need to decide which world is better, and which one should die. Either way, what XANA has done is made the deaths of billions be on your conscience. No matter what happens, billions will have to die, and you have to pick which ones. The mind games you mentioned… those have only just begun."

"Dreams…XANA always been good at manipulating those. I swear I can't count the number of times he has given me nightmares of the night Doodle died. I guess they allowed the dream to fade, as I let the nightmare fade as well." Alice shook her head at the sad thought. Alice listen carefully to what Emily was describing this new alternate timeline. Alice nodded her head as the situation came down onto her shoulders.

"So…he finally done it. I'm going to be a murder no matter what I do. Either I bring back the world I left, or I let the new timeline run it's course and willing enter death's embrace. No matter how I look at it, XANA has won. There is no way that I'll ever be free of 'what if' questions. I'll always wonder if I choose the right path for the world. That kind of guilt will haunt me for the rest of my life…. DAMN IT XANA!"

Alice shook as she talked, her anger at the AI grew within her. She released some of her anger by punching the wall. She made a hole on the wall with her fist. Tears fell in a stream down her face for the lives that are now in her hands to choose. Their fate are up to her, a lowly former orphan that was falsely place in jail for ten years only to be forced to choose what to do. She forced herself to stop crying and to shake off the pain in her hand for punching the wall.

"If I'm going to choose, then I have to see what makes this world different from the old one. I can't just sit here and ponder the fate of people I have never meet. I know you guys want me to avoid Franz and the other Kadets, but I still have to see this world for myself. I need to see the difference to know what is the right path, if there is one. Yeah, I guess it is time for the mental games to begin…" Alice said, walking over to the door.

Emily sighed quietly. "I suppose your are right. I never got attached to anybody here, because I had been kinda hoping that your arrival would bring back everything that I no longer have. Just know this," she narrowed her eyes. "There are some people who would do anything to keep you from changing the world, and they aren't going to take risks, knowing you have that kind of power.

"At the same time, there are people like me who would be willing to do anything to bring our old world back. Everybody who remembers will try to use you in one way or the other, so trust nobody. Aelita… the only one who belongs fully to both, she is the only one from this world you can really trust. Do whatever you need to do, and make whatever decision you have to make… And good luck. Next time we meet, it is possible that we will not be friends." Emily turned and walked away from the room, not glancing back for a moment. Having returned to her home world, Alice was now totally and completely alone.


	3. Chapter 3: The Unanswerable Question

**Chapter 3: The Unanswerable Question**

Alice felt nothing but sadness towards Emily. Deep down she could not help but wonder if she should of been friends back in the original world. Alice pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she wondered what to do now. She knew that there was no need to worry about going to class since her lesson with Franz were the last thing she had to do today. She thought about going to the lab, but she shot that thought down since it must be crawling with those Dark Moon people, or the others would be suspicious or her actions.

Alice sighed and headed for her dorm room. She needed to understand this world better, and there is no place better to do that than from the internet. But she would need to search in private, Emily was right, she can't trust anyone! She put on a false smile as she passed people in the halls, coming out of their classes. Alice unlocked her door and walked in. She looked around for any hidden cameras and mikes. The last thing she needs is for someone to overhear her and know her movements. She reached for her bag, but groaned.

"Oh I forgot! Xanatos has my laptop! I guess I better get back to work upgrading the one the school gave me." Alice mumbled to herself as she turned to the old desktop tower. AS she worked, she fought back the tears of her past memories coming back to the front of her mind. "Damn you XANA…Damn you..." Alice quietly cursed him as she worked.

"Seriously? Now this has gotta be more than coincidence," Aelita said as she stepped into the room and stared, rather taken aback, at Alice staring intently at the screen. "Um…" She walked forward and peered at the blank google searchbar. "Can't figure out what to look up, or what?" she asked curiously.

Alice looked up when she heard Aelita's voice. Her eyes were all blood shot as looked at her. "Oh 'Lita…it's just that…I..I just talked with Emily and OH! How could all of this happen!" Alice felt her tears return to her face. "When I left, I thought that if I helped other worlds destroy XANA, then the barrier that blocked my way home would weaken enough for Jeremie or me to break through it. I thought I would return to a world at peace, not a world filled with these…these Dark Moon people."

"XANA filled me up with false hope on my travels. He would constantly whisper into my ear in the void between worlds how you all moved on from the past and gave up on me ever coming back. I knew better, I kept telling myself that you guys would never leave a friend behind. WE were one big Ohana, one big family of friends. I never felt this heartbroken since Doodle died in my arms that horrible day so long ago." Alice confessed to Aelita.

Hot tears rolled down her face as she talked. "And now…. Besides you and Emily, I don't know who to trust. How can I even look at the face of the people I consider to be my closest friends? How can I do what I have to do? I…I'm just a big idiot! Why did I ever have to come back?"

Aelita nodded her head quietly. "I'd always thought Emily was a crackpot, but a part of me had wanted to believe her. You were my sister, after all. And I rather liked the idea that I had siblings at one point. But… I have forgotten so much… so very much. I couldn't even recognize you till you showed me the picture of you and… Doodle you called him. I remember his face.

"As for XANA, I remember almost nothing of how that all went down in your world. I remember you dying though… a piercing scream before exploding into nothingness. That was right before the world went screwy. I really wish I could remember… but its gone now… all of our good times and adventures together… a dream I wish I could bring back.

"As for Emily and what you have to do, I wouldn't trust her too much. She seems like the type of person who would give you due warning though… Did she not say anything about how she… might end up being your enemy? And if there was a barrier… why are you here now? Did she have an explanation for that?"

Alice wiped the tears as she look at her little sister. She tried to put on a brave face towards her. "Yeah, His name was Doodle. He was a fellow orphan like me. We meet at an orphanage in the countryside. The second I looked into his eyes…We were inseparable We figured it out that we had found our soul-mates He was everything I was not. Courageous Funny, Joyful, smart…. Think of his as a perfect mix of both Jeremie and Odd.

"He always loved putting a smile on people's faces. He was the one who ran the computer while I was the one who fought on Lyoko. At least, until XANA used a horrible attack against us. XANA caused earthquakes to appear all over the world, in places where there was no fault line. The whole factory was shaking when I made it into the tower. He tried to sound normal, but I knew better.

"I deactivated the tower and activated a self-devirtualization. I came back to a horror show. He…he had an Iron beam through his chest, through his heart. He told me that….that he wanted to say goodbye to me and to promise him that I would find someone else that made me feel like I feel when I'm with him. I told him to hold on, to stay as I launched the return in time, but he died before it could activate. I woke up back in the house to only find him missing. Franz and I told you that he ran away, but we knew the truth." Alice got up and grabbed a tissue for her nose.

"That scream was me being dragged away by XANA. He opened up a portal to the void that exists between worlds. I tried to stay here, Odd was actually trying to help, but it was too late. I was marked, and there was noting Jeremie could do… the barrier was created by XANA to keep me away from here. He kept pushing me into some strange worlds. One where Jeremie was more eviler than XANA. One where Kadic was destroyed by accident by Yumi. One where XANA had won and you were all dead. IT was horrible.

"I made new friends, but I was always dragged into another world by XANA when that XANA ran out of ideas to kill me. As for the who brought me here, all I know is that a portal opened up from one one world and I came here. Besides you, I really have no idea on who to trust anymore." Alice walked over to her bag and grabbed a water bottle she had. She jokingly held it up high and smiled at Aelita. "Here's to finally coming home, to having to choose between two terrible fates…"

Aelita sat quiet, trying to take in absolutely everything that was going on. Too much to take in… Doodle… marked… Odd… Franz…. Running away… She pushed all this stuff to the back of her mind, choosing to instead focus on what was currently important. "So, a barrier was set up to keep you out. Probably until something could happen here in this world. Question is… what changed? What has given XANA the confidence to let you back in… and," she frowned quietly. "Emily should have been able to figure out what was going on. Are you sure she didn't tell you anything?"

Alice took a sip of water and put the bottle aside on the desk. "I wish I knew. Emily thinks that XANA has grown confident in killing me. For some strange reason. I have two options on the table. One, I do…something, I'm not sure what or how, and I force this world back to the way it used to be. It would mean that anyone that is new to this timeline than our original one will die. Not to mention that the Professor, Franz, will as well. We would go back to the point where XANA attack me and he will die from the anti-XANA program.

"Basically I become a mass murder and be the reason the Professor dies. But I'll be home and done with this darn journey at last. Then I could…I could get the necessary paperwork finished up. I never told you but, Franz made me swear that if anything ever happen to him that I would step in and protect you. I was going to surprise you with it but I had adoption papers being made to legally make us a family again. The official story would be a wrongfully accused ex-con wanted to start a family by adopting an orphan that was just like her long lost sister." Alice paused to let that sink into Aelita's mind.

"The second option is….that I willingly enter death's embrace It would mean that this is the new permanent timeline and Franz and those Dark Moon people will win. But it also means that the people who did not come over to this timeline will die as well. Franz will live and keep you safe. But no one will remember me, just like it was before I arrived." Alice walked back to the bed and laid down.

"I just don't know what to do! I never asked for all of this! All I ever wanted is to return home and to find some peace at last. IF only I never helped in creating Lyoko, my life would of never been this crappy. You wouldn't have any ideas as to what I should do? IT is mainly you that suffers from my choice. Would you rather lose Franz or lose your once long-lost adopted sister?"

And just like that, the weight of the world was set on Aeita's shoulders as well. No matter what she answered, people were going to die. If she said neither, than she would always wonder what would have happened had she picked one of them at this time. However, what else could she do?

Looking up at Alice, she quietly said, "I cannot answer that question for you. Billions of lives, not just mine, hinge on whatever choice you are going to make. Emily, for one, yearns for the old world. Franz yearns for this one. I am certain there are such cases throughout the entire world. Don't think for a second that I am the only one who is going to be out when you make your choice. One way… Emily will lose whatever it is she misses most. The other… Franz will lose his life.

"Right now, all I can suggest is that you make sure nobody dies. As you well know, if anybody dies in this realm… reversing the super computer will not bring them back. Until you make your decision, see to it that nobody dies." She swallowed, "especially Odd. Because if any of us die here, than the us over there will simply cease to exist, as happened to Doodle. That leaves the awkward question. If XANA is revived over here, and you send us back, would you be unleashing him on that world? If I'm right, XANA plans to kill us here while unable to truly recognize you. When that happens, even if you return to the old world… nobody will be waiting for you there."

Aelita sat down on her bed and pulled her legs against her with her arms. "I always… Emily seemed to think that when you showed up the two parts inside of me would finally make sense with each other. That everything would be resolved and life would be better. However, you appear to be as lost and confused as I am. Whichever world you choose, XANA is coming back and must be fought now. If he wins here, both worlds will be destroyed. You can only save one, but to do that, we have to fight. I am going to go check on the Kadets. You find your brother." Sitting up again, Aelita shot a look in Alice's direction. "There is no time to waste."

Alice sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She knew Aelita was right, she could not let someone innocent die because of her choice, because she help create that world. All she wanted was a place to go to escape reality for a bit. a chance to be a hero instead of the zero she felt as an orphan. "Yeah, I better find him. He may have dug up something helpful in understanding this timeline compared to the original one…"Alice said, standing up She waved god bye to Aelita as she left, trying to put on a brave smile for her. She was supposed to be the big sister, the one to protect her, but now Aelita was the one giving her advice.

"I wonder where….!" Alice started to say when an thought traveled across her mind. If this timeline does disappear, what would happen to him? He is new here, a fellow off-world traveler. Would he…die if Alice returned this world back to how it used to be? Alice shook her head, trying to free it of that dark thought. "'Focus on the present, leave the past behind and fear not the future, for what will come will come.' Alice said one of Doodle's favorite lines, he was always the deep thinker out of the two of them. She doubled check that her tattoo was covered, and she took a deep breath in. She reached for the door knob and opened it to what she imagine as her personal hell of a world.


	4. Chapter 4: Sissi Delmas's Party

**Chapter 4: Sissie Delmas's Party**

"WELCOME TO KADIC ACADEMY!" A very familiar face said, and one that Alice had never wanted to see again. Sissi Delmas, and her two henchman Nicolas and Herb, were standing there. However, she didn't have the 'better-than-thou' expression that was her trademark. Instead she, and the other two were smiling. A streamer had been hung across the hall with the words 'WELCOME TO KADIC ACADEMY TRANSFER STUDENT!" written across it. Nicolas and Herb were each holding balloons.

A table had been set up with food and drinks, and a big cake with the words. "Greetings from Kadic Academy Female Dorms. This is a gift for you." The food mostly consisted of cookies, jello, and other delectable treats. There were also a couple of small gifts.

"We were going to give you these during class," Sissi said with a smile as she leaned backwards against the table, and said "I thought it was probably hard transferring into a new boarding school partway through the semester, and decided to throw you a party!" She grinned. She gave Alice a friendly hug. "I really hope that you enjoy it here. If anybody gives you trouble, let me know. I'll have my father deal with them instantly."

She then smiled at Nicolas and Herb. "This is my boyfriend Nicolas, and my best friend Herb. If I'm not around, feel free to talk to either of them, ok? Kadic Academy is a place where anybody and everybody should be friends and get along. We welcome you to our family. Want some cake?"

Alice was just standing there, like a fool at the sight of Sissi. Her mind pretty much decided to leave her. Not once in her travels has she EVER seen a…a NICE Sissi. Alice quickly mentally shook herself and forced herself to the present when Sissi hugged her.

"Er, thank you Sissi, I would love a slice. Oh, where are my manners… My name is Alice Muto. It's a pleasure to meet you." Alice forced a smile on her face. In her mind she was rolling in laughter at the idea of Herve getting his heart's desire and dating the girl he loved. She gladly took the cake and was about to take a bite when Emily's words of warning filter in to her head. Alice accidentally let the bite slip back onto the plate and smiled up at Sissi.

"I almost forgot. I need to take some medicine first. I'm, er, Lactose intolerance. just give me a second, 'kay?" ALice smiled at her and went back into her room. She quickly tossed it out and rubbed the frosting around on the plate to make it look like she ate it. She even smuged a bit on the napkin to complete the look. She smiled and walked back out to her. "Ah, that was good. Thank you very much. I'm actually in a rush to meet up with Aelita over in the library. She's going to help me out in Science class. But it was a pleasure to meet you." Alice smiled as sweetly as she could as she walked away.

Sissi, apparently not much brighter on this planet than the other one, nodded. "You come back as soon as you can though. We have a lot of games and celebrations and things that we have made just for your enjoyment." She looked slightly dissapointed that the guest of honor was leaving, but kept her gigantic smile none the less.

"HEY!" a tall girl said, pushing her way through the crowd to frown at Alice. "Do you really think I'd fall for that 'pretend to eat cake' thing you did there?" The girl was about sixteen with black hair and white skin. She wore a pink jacket with a black shirt, green pants that went most of the way down her legs and stopped at a pair of long black boots.

"Me and Sissi worked very hard on that cake. At least give it a taste." She cut another piece of cake, took a small amount with her fork and swallowed it. "See? Not poisoned." She said with a twinkle that made it seem her statement was nothing more than good-natured joking. "It really is pretty darned amazing. Someday the two of us are going to be chefs in a famous restaurant." She offered the plate to Alice, adding, "By the way, my name is Milly Tamiya."

Alice did feel bad for brushing off Sissi and the party she planed, but she really was worried who was her enemy here. Emily's words of warning really troubled her. Alice tried to smile apologetic at the people she passed, but she stopped short when someone yelled at her. She turned to look at the girl. She reminded Alice of a mix of her favorite newshound friends, Milly and Tamiya.

Alice could feel sweat beginning to form on her head as the girl called her out on not eating the cake. "I, um, I'm sorry. There is too many demons in my past to just trust new people." Alice looked away from her and rubbed her arm where her tattoo was hidden. She watched as she ate some, and decided to take a chance and eat some, after all it did look good.

"Yes, it does look good there, Milly Tamiya is it? I'm Alice Muto, by the way." Alice smiled as she mentally made a note that this girl is one of the people who were new to the timeline here. Alice knew that her dream may not come true if she made to wrong choice in the foreseen future. "Care to cut me another slice?" Alice asked with a smile, trying to mend the bridge she destroyed.

Sissi, a little confused, came bounding over. The way she was always pacing back and forth, up and down, from foot to foot, made her seem like somebody who was always high on sugar. She spoke quickly, without stops in her sentances. "You want more cake? Do you like the cake? Weren't you going to leave? Do you have time for party games? I have some fun ones! I bought some presents for you, do you want to open those as well? Want some balloons? Herve and Nicolas have a lot. They will share some with you if you want. And cake, lots of cake, I love cake. And candy. And pink. And Pie. Yes, I love pink pie!"

As she said this, and continued bouncing, she took the giant knife sitting next to the cake and sliced another piece, putting it onto the cake. "And Milly Tamiya there is the official news person at our school, she's always trying to find the latest scoop. Sometimes I help her with the camera. She wants to know if you would be willing to answer a couple of questions for the Kadic News. You can say anything, doesn't matter what. Just so that us girls can know you better, and guys can know what kind of girl you are." She had a gigantic grin on her face as she babbled.

Alice smiled in defeat as Sissi came boucing over. She chuckled a bit as she tried to interrupt her at different moments. "Yes, I'll have some more…Er, I'll just see her later…Presents and balloons? I haven't gotten any of those in a long time… pink pie? That sounds like a strange combination…" Alice bit her lip to not laugh at her suddenly bubbly personality. She could not help but remember her acting like that talking horse she meet once…what was her name? Oh yeah, Pinkie Pie! Alice took the new slice with a smile. She knew there was no way around it, and she took a small bite. Her mouth erupted in amazing flavors.

"WOW! That is good! You guys would make excellent bakers some day!" Alice's smile faded when she heard her mentioned an interview. "Well, about that…I would really rather not want to talk about my past. I have a lot of terrible, personal demons I don't want to remember… please understand." Alice looked away from Sissi's face as she talked. That kind of information on her could be used against her if they are working for this Dark Moon group.

"You are a sneaky one," Milly Tamiya said with a slight frown. "Look, it's not going to be anything like, 'Where do you come from' or anything really personal. It would be more like, "Who is your favorite super hero?"

"What is your favorite color?" "Do you, or do you not, like romance or fantasy stories? And most importantly, are you a member of any sort of fandom? Are you a science geek, star trek geek, My little pony geek, etc.?" She smiled and said, "Would it be alright for you to answer those questions for me?"

Sissi cut a gigantic piece of cake and handed it to Alice with a grin, still bouncing up and down. Then she raced over to the presents and pulled one out of the middle, allowing the rest of the presents to fall and cover most of the food. Luckily, it didn't touch the cake. "This one is from me. I was hoping you would be my roommate. I don't have one yet. Aelita didn't either.

"Aelita is awesome. She's a friend of mine. She waved to me as she walked by a few minutes ago. She said you should have fun at the party. And…" she paused for a second as if confused. "She said that you would enjoy getting to know this world of Kadic Academy. Left before I could explain it wasn't a world." She smiled and offered Alice the present. "Open! Open! Open! Open!" She proceeded to bounce up and down excitedly as she repeated the words.

Alice scratched the back of her head as she wondered if it would be safe. "Er…sure. Why not then! As long as you guys stay away from my past then I'll answer all of your questions." Alice told them. She wanted to make sure they were clear as to what is out-of-bounds information on her. Alice smiled at Sissi as she took the cake. She took a big bite and listen to what she was blabbing on about. She chuckled at the thought of Sissi not knowing that this was an alternate timeline.

Alice carefully set the cake down on the nearby table and took the present from Sissi. She smiled at her and held it to her ear, shaking it a bit. She was trying to do two things at once, joke with Sissi as to wonder what was inside, as well as hoping there was no ticking sound coming from the inside. She found nothing wrong with it. "So, what is it? A my little pony action figure? or is it that new Blaze comic I've been hearing about?" Alice chuckled, opening the gift slowly just to annoy Sissi.

Inside was a small diamond right with the words "to Aelita's new roommate, welcome to the family." Sissi grinned at Alice's expression and began to jump up and down excitedly. "Do you like it? Do you like it? Do you like it? Do you like it? Do you like it?" Then she tilted her head and said, "I didn't know what size you were so I'm afraid it might be a little bit off.

"Nicolas can adjust it for you if you need, he's really good at that kind of thing. He made it when I asked. He's awesome like that. He's also smart. Ask him for help with homework. But you also look smart. You aren't coming to science. Aelita's gonna teach you." The smile on her face and her wide eyes made her seem slightly crazy. "Beware of guns." She concluded.

One by one the presents were handed to Alice by the differing female students of Kadic Academy, all of whom (besides Aelita and Emily) seemed to be at this party. It begged the question of why Aelita wasn't there. A shy, nervous girl stepped up, half her face hidden behind her short black hair. Her clothes were a black sweater and black pants.

"Hi…" Yumi said nervously. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I mean… besides earlier with the weirdness of course." She offered her present, that was hidden behind her back, to Alice and whispered. "Don't open it until you are alone. And…" she glanced around. "Don't let anyone know you have it." Then she slipped away into the crowd again.

"So tonight?" Milly Tamiya asked, pushing her way up to Alice. "After Jim tells everybody to stay in their rooms, I'll sneak over to yours and get the interview, alright? Oh…" She tried to peer at whatever was in Alice's hands. "What you got there, friend?" Alice could feel a tear of joy form on the edge of her eye. She had never received a gift so meaningful since she started her world-hopping travels.

She wiped the tear away as she looked up at the bouncing Sissi. Alice carefully took it out and put it on. It ended up fitting perfectly. "I love it! Thanks! I never had something this nice before….er, no I'm not going to science. Aelita said she is going to teach me instead….Yeah, I'll ask Nicholas for help if I need it….Um, sure I'll keep an eye out for guns…" Alice smiled at her as she tried to answer all of Sissi's questions.

Alice could not help but let the smile stay on her face as the other girls came forward She noted the fact that she got basic girly things. A small makeup kit, a cute purse, and some nail polish. She could only chuckled a bit as one was a female version of Aelita's Mr Puck doll. Alice thanked them all in turn as they turned to give other people room to come over to her. Alice noticed that Aelita and Emily were no where in sight, but she had a feeling that they were meeting up somewhere to talk. Alice just shrugged it off as a familiar blackette stepped forwards towards her.

"Oh! Hey there Yumi." Alice greeted her, smiling sheepishly Her heart felt a pang as it reminded her that this is the Yumi she held the closest to her heart. The Yumi that felt more like a sister than a best friend. The Yumi who would enjoy nothing better than to spend the afternoon playing Go and helping each other get better at it. The Yumi…that allowed the dream of the past to fade away. "Yeah, I'm sorry about before. I guess I should of remembered my personal rule, number 12, 'New world, new rules'." Alice chuckled nervously at her. She took the gift and held on to it tight.

"Alright, I'll keep it safe. You can count on me. I know this may be a bit strange but…" Alice reached over and gave her a hug. "I missed you so much." She whispered to herself as she pulled away from Yumi. She smiled at her as she disappeared into the crowd. Alice tried to slip it into her new purse before someone could see it, but she was a second to slow.

"Huh? Oh, This is nothing. Just something Yumi wanted me to hold for her. But it's a secret, so please don't tell anyone! Especially Ulrich." Alice winked at Milly Tamiya, hopeful this will keep her away from trying to find out more. "Yeah, your on! I'll be ready for you!" Alice said, mentally noting to herself to hide anything too personal in her room away.

Milly Tamiya's eyes lit up. Then, a glare from Sissi made her lower her grin. "Fine," she said with reluctance. "I won't tell anyone. Woulda made a pretty awesome scoop though." Then her eyes rose. "Wait a second, why in the world would Yumi trust you with something that important. Don't get me wrong, I mean, we really *are* glad that you are here, but none of us really know you yet. Why would she give you something so…"

"She said she had demons, Milly," Sissi said, her grin still just as strong as always. "Maybe Yumi can see them and that makes her awesome!" It was then that Milly noticed all of the other girls staring at them questioningly. Sissi noticed Alice's uncomfortable look and yelled, "IT'S TIME FOR PARTY GAMES! EVERYBODY COME TO MY MEGADORMS AND LETS DO FUN THINGS!" She grabbed Alice by the arm and happily led her into a dorm towards the end of the hall. Sissi's dorm was the size of two. Her closet was full of flowing dresses, beautiful hats, props, and random knick-knacks.

"I've always dreamed of being famous," Sissi said as she showed the clothes to Alice. "Someday I'm going to go to an acting college and then hopefully move on to Broadway…" She turned and looked at Alice, her smile even bigger than usual. "I can show you some time if you want. I'm pretty good."

Sissi's face got darker once again and she said, "Not sure why I'm telling you this. Don't usually tell anybody. You should know. Not sure how I know, but somehow I know, that it is important that you know that I know you know that I want to be an actress." Then she nodded her head as if she had concluded everything she needed to say. "Enjoy the party. I gotta go. Daddy wants me. And Alice…Beware. Of. Guns." She hugged Alice tightly for a moment, and then ran off without allowing Alice to respond.

Milly Tamiya watched quietly, before pulling out her phone and typing into it. Picking it up, she said, "Yes… Now would be as good a time as any. I suggest Odd Della Robbia first, sir. That would…" she glanced quietly over at Alice, "be the first step in making her change her mind." She closed the phone again, making sure that Alice hadn't noticed anything. When she was sure of it, she stood up and headed over to Alice. "So… what kind of fandoms *do* you like? Sissi has plenty of trivia games to choose from."

Alice was grateful to Sissi for dragging her away from Milly's question. The last thing she needed is for Milly to ask something that could be used to hurt her family of friends. Alice could not help but smile at Sissi's large closet of dresses. Alice rolled her eyes at the sight, some things never change….

"Yeah, I would love to watch yo-" Alice started to say when Sissi went all dark and mysterious on her. Alice tried to keep a smile on her face as her mind was going nuts over her statement. Could Sissi be one of those people who remembers the other world? Maybe she sees the difference in her personalities and picked the bubbly side over the annoyance one.

"It's true back home Sissi and Alice never saw eye to eye with her trying to get into the group. But before Alice was sent away form here, Sissi was starting to talk to Alice at night over what her true intentions were. They gabbed late into the night over her love of acting, her wanting Ulrich and her desire to be friends with the others. Alice could not help but wonder if she was seeing the real Sissi under her superficial facade she had back in their world.

"Er, right. Thank you Sissi. I'll keep an eye out for those guns." Alice said as she watched her walk away. She sighed and looked around at the other people that gather around her. Alice spotted Milly walking towards, removing her hand from her pocket. Alice had a feeling that her phone was in there and she placed some kind of a call or a text. She put that thought to the back of her mind since she now had to think up a fandom that is here compared to other worlds. "Well, I guess I'm big in the My Little Pony series. oh, and I do enjoy the occasional episode of Dr. Shrank and the Hospital of Horrors." Alice chuckled at her, hopeful that they exist here.

Milly Tamiya pondered for a second. "I believe Sissi has bought every single thing related to that series that has ever come, be it video games, books, movies, TV series seasons, board games, and merchandise." Milly led Alice over to a closet and opened it. The closet was actually an entrance to another a smaller room, Sissi's secret hangout. The walls were covered in pictures of My Little Pony characters and wallpapers. Toys were tied to strings that were dangling from the ceiling, and even the dresser in the room was shaped like Rarity's house. "I figured she was going to show this to you, except for having to leave so abruptly."

"The dressers are filled with different outfits she only wears when she doesn't have to go anywhere. It is her secret obsession that only her closest friends, like me, know about." It was interesting to note that although there were ponies everywhere, and probably at least one related to each and every character that arrived for even a second in the show, there were more Pinkie Pie things than everything else combined.

Suddenly, there was a scream from the party room. Everybody else fell silent. The giant ruckus of noise came to an instant halt. "Yes Jasmine?" One of the people in the party room asked in slight annoyance. "What in the world is it?"

The reply pushed Sissi's parting words directly back into Alice's head. "Did… none of you hear it? I could have sworn… I heard a muffled gun shot."


	5. Chapter 5: Dark Moon Strikes

**Chapter 5: Dark Moon Strikes**

"Wow…" The sound came from Alice's lips as she took in Sissi's little secret area. She could not help but smile at the toy versions of her friends from that wonderful world. Alice looked around untill she found her two favorite. Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna. Her mind was filled with those happy memories of them helping her run away from XANA-fied changeling ponies.

Alice's snapped out of her past memories and thrust her mind back to the present at the sound of the muffle scream. Alice quickly reacted by reaching for her pocket, ready to grab a small, mental pill shape container. Inside laid her three swords that are with her on and off Lyoko. She held her breath as she waited for this Jasmine to tell her what happen.

_"Did… none of you hear it? I could have sworn… I heard a muffled gun shot."_

Alice could feel her heartbeat skip as Sissi's warning came to the tip of her mind. _Oh by the core, what could of happen? I better find out the cause, it could be that Dark Moon group Emily and Aelita warned me about…_ Alice straighten up and nodded her head as she talked to Milly. "Well, since you're a news reporter and need to keep people informed…Maybe we should go check that out. I can take a whack at trying to be your camera crewmen."

"Are. You. MAD?" Milly Tamiy asked, her eyes wide as she stared at Alice in utter bewilderment. "Firstly, I'm gonna assume no gun. Secondly, if there is one it requires hiding like they are doing." She motioned to all of the schoolgirls rushing out of the room to find places to hide. "If a psychopath enters the school, you do not walk *towards* it!"

She glanced around the secret room with all of the My Little Ponies and said, "I am going to be staying right here where there is no chance in the slightest of me being shot, thank you very much. You should probably stay here too. The last thing you want is to come face-to-face with a psychopath. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"But…" she said cautiously, motioning to the video camera that she had set down in the middle of the secret room. "IF you really are crazy, and insist on going to meet this psychopath, by all means film as you do so." Her eyes were wide with terror as she spoke. Her voice was also starting to shiver. "That way… if you die… we'll at least know how, and if you don't die… well… the camera stuff will be pretty awesome."

Outside of the secret room there was silence. Every single one of the girls was hiding somewhere, waiting for an alarm that told them it had either all been a drill or the maniac was caught.

Alice bit her tongue so as to not laugh at the interesting situation around her. It seems that after all of her travels, she has become a bit reckless. She knew that Milly was right, running into the path of a psyco was a great way to quickly die. But on the other hand, if this was XANA or Dark Moon, she had to know who they were targeting. She cast her own fear to the side and grabbed the camera.

"Call me crazy, but I like to think of myself to be like the firefighters and police force that run towards danger, not from. I'll get you some fantastic shoots, and then we can have that interview I promised you guys." Alice joked. She walked over to the door and took one last look at the toy versions of the Elements of Harmony. She took a deep breath and left the room with her chest held up high. She left Sissi's room and headed towards the Courtyard, carefully moving from one hiding spot to the next.

However, she never made it out of the building. It became clear pretty much right away that the gunshot had come from the boy's dormitories. This was obvious mainly because of the people who were all flocking frantically in that direction. At this point, Alice's cell phone rang, which was odd since nobody had been given it just yet.

"Hai…" The voice on the other side of the phone said, trying to hold back tears. It was unmistakably Aelita. "Alice… Odd's been shot. It's not looking good. Emily says she told you that we were going to be attacked today. Why didn't you tell us? What are we going to do?" Aelita's voice was in a panic.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" a voice shouted from behind Alice, and everybody instantly froze and cleared a path. Franz Hopper came rushing through it, his face looking pale. He didn't even waste a second glancing around, and if he noticed Alice as he ran by he made no noticeable reaction. He was obviously way too concerned about what was going on in Odd's room.

Alice was frozen in fear, a hand held her phone to her ear. "Odd….no…I thought I did…no! I-I-I don't know! I'm such a…a block head!" Alice cried out into her phone. She lean over onto a nearby wall, trying to figure out what to do. Alice could not deal with the thought that this could be all her fault. She never asked for any of this. This should of been another world, not her true home.

She snapped her head back to the horror in front of her as a very familiar voice called out to the crowd to move. Alice turned and watched as Franz walked by. Alice gasped at the how he looked just like the day he ran away from the Men in Black. She wanted nothing more that to hear him say that everything is going to be alright, that this was all one big dream…but she knew better. Emily's words of warning were pushed aside as she followed him. She had to…no, needed to know what happen to the boy who gave her the happiness she once had with her beloved Doodle. If something were to happen to Odd, there was no telling what she would do…

When Alice reached the room, she could see that Franz had scooped Odd up in his arms and was holding him against him tightly. "You have to be ok…" Franz said, cradling the kid against his chest. "I can't lose anyone else. I just can't." Tears were running down his cheeks, and it was strange. As he stood here, he looked just like the caring and sacrificial man that Alice had been raised by. Whatever his darker persona was, he appeared to have taken the role of a loving father to the Kadets.

Strangely, standing next to the fallen figure of Odd, looking both horrified and unsettled was Sissi Delmas. She looked up for a moment, into Alice's eyes and mouthed the words, "He wasn't bewaring of guns." Aelita stepped into the room and put her hand gently in Alice's. "Come on Alice, there isn't anything you can do for him right now. And frankly… I would prefer not to lose either you or Father. So… if you could leave before he sees you, it would be quite wonderful." She looked quietly at Odd, and added. "Don't worry. He isn't going to die. Franz is just putting on a show right now. Get out of here before he sees you or it is possible somebody might end up dead."

Alice could feel hot tears fall from her face. She wanted to be by his side, to comfort him. She dropped the camera that laid in her hands and fell to her knees. She could feel herself choke up with tears for her svelte love. She reached a hand out towards the scene, when Aelita's blocked her. Alice looked up, snot now trying to leave her nose. Alice listen to Aelita and nodded her head. She was right, the last thing this horrible sight needed was for her to be next, or another warrior. But Odd…

Alice hugged her arms across her chest as she listen to Aelita. _"Don't worry. He isn't going to die. Franz is just putting on a show right now. Get out of here before he sees you or it is possible somebody might end up dead."_ Alice's tears turned from ones of grief to ones of anger. She glared at the back of her once beloved father. How could he do this to her! How could he just… Alice stood up and forced herself to turn away from her personal hell turn real.

"Odd…please don't leave me again…" Alice whispered softly. The emotions were too much for her to bear. She pushed people aside as she ran away. She ran, and ran. Not caring where she was going or who she pushed. A trail of tears for the boy who mended her broken heart was all that laid in her wake.

As soon as Aelita had made sure Alice was no able to be seen, she shouted, "Alright. EVERYBODY CLEAR OUT! There is nothing to see here. Whoever the assassin is, he appears to have gone." Jeremie showed up at this point, and began to actually begin to shove people from the room. During the commotion, Franz slipped to his feet and out the back window, landing on the ground.

As he ran off, Alice could hear him still talking in the distance. "Come'on Son, you can't leave me now! Stay with me! Just give me a few minutes, ok? Just hang with me for a few minutes." It was rather weird, hearing him talking when he probably assumed nobody could hear him. He sounded like he was genuinely worried.

"Don't make any mistakes here," Emily's voice said coldly from behind Alice. "Remember that if anybody dies here, even if you succeed in bringing back the other world, that person will still be dead. Also," she frowned quietly. "I don't yet know if we are enemies or not, so until I know I am going to avoid helping or hindering you. You seem very confused about one thing, though.

"Franz Hopper is a great man, Alice, even in this world. When Aelita said he was putting on a show, she didn't mean for Odd. He knows of a way to cure him, but with everybody around he had to put on a show to make it seem like he did not. The Kadets are like his own children, he would give his life for…" She trailed off and winced as she refused to meet Alice's eyes. "Nothing." Then she disappeared into the crowd just as suddenly as she had originally appeared.

Alice suddenly found herself grabbed and pulled into the chaos. "HaI again. It hasn't been very long but I missed you and I saw you and I grabbed you as we went by. Want to go to my room to party more? Partying is fun? You look sad… Partying makes people happy. Come and play with me friend cause that wipes away tears." Sissi had appeared out of the crowd in surprisingly high spirits.

After speaking, she stopped her bouncing, and gently wiped away the tears in Alice's eyes. "Smile friend. Everything is going to be ok. This sort of thing has happened several times, and nobody has as of yet died. It'll be all right."

Alice tripped and fell. She blinked away some of the tears that pour down her face. She just could not believe…Franz was putting on a show, but for who? Why must she be put through this…why must fate be so cruel… Alice pulled herself to sit by he side of one of the buildings. She pulled her knees into her chest, as everything began to become too much for her. The sound of Franz's words snapped her head up. She watched as he mumbled to Odd to stay with him. Alice really wonder what was Franz thinking, what was on his mind. Alice missed the days when they would bounce ideas back and forth in the coding process of creating Lyoko.

Alice looked up at Emily when she heard her come up to her. She listen as she sniffled her tears a bit. "I like to think that we might be on the same side. At least I know that you're one of the few people of this new world that is honest with me." Alice sighed before she went on. "I'd always know he had a big heart. After all, who in their right minds adopt two older kids when they already have one of their own and is all alone in taking care of them."

Alice could feel a shiver of anger rise up in her. "'Give his life…' Where was he when I was attacked! Where was he when Doodle died in my arms! And now…all of this." Alice gestured to everything around her. She looked away from Emily as she left. All she wanted to be was alone, but Sissi would not give her that option. Alice tried to smile at the bouncing girl, but her heart was too depressed for anything at that moment. Tears pored once more down her face. She jerked a bit when Sissi wiped her tear away. She tried to smile for her, but she knew it was not enough for her.

"No…I'm sorry Sissi, but I really want to be alone. Please understand…." Alice said to her, pushing her way out of the chaos. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She ran with all her might to the park. She followed a path until it divided. Alice took the less traveled road and stopped at a large pine tree. She stepped off the path and headed into the woods. She walked for five minutes until her eyes meet a beautiful sight.

A small meadow filled with wild flowers stretched out around her. She slowly stepped into the middle of it and sat down. This place was her secret, special meadow. This is where Franz would take the whole family for picnics. It is here that Doodle confessed his love to her. It was here that XANA faked their deaths. Alice pulled her knees into her chest and let her sadness flow out of her.

"Ok…" a voice said, causing Alice to jump. "I know that this may be a weird question… but why are you here?" Xanatos was staring at her blankly. "There is something weird about this place, I guarantee it. Whatever happens within the worlds… this spot is the center of something." He then noticed Alice's eyes and looked utterly bewildered. He offered her the computer uncomfortably and opened his mouth to ask if the meeting with Emily hadn't gone well. He decided against it and slowly began to back away, when footsteps could be heard coming up the side of the hill.

"It's that blasted Franz Hopper again, I'm telling you," one of the voices muttered under their breath. "How in the world are we supposed to be making her choose to stay here… when he so adamantly protects the keys to her desire to return?" There was only one person the voice could belong to… and it occurred to Alice that she hadn't seen him around school at all, even during the time when everybody was running to and from the room where the shot took place. William Dunbar,

"How should I know?" The other voice responded in a more subdued tone. It was Christophe M'Bala, a friend of William's that had never made acquaintance with Alice. "Your the assassin here. Why don't you try taking out Franz next time?"

"I can't…" William said reluctantly. "I take orders from the boss alone. We do whatever deaths she orders. It is likely that Alice is holding back simply because Franz is alive here, whether he wants her dead or not. If we remove Franz, it is quite likely that she will kill us all without a second's hesitation in order to protect everybody else from Dark Moon." He shook his head at the idea.

"Then… here's what I don't understand," Christophe said as he and William entered into the meadow. Thinking quickly, Xanatos grabbed Alice and pulled her behind a giant tree at the edge of the meadow just as the two walked into it. "Why don't we just kill Alice, hmmm? Why target her friends and family?" Peering around the tree it was possible to see William's face curl into an evil sneer.

"It's more fun this way," William answered cryptically, holding out on whatever he knew. "For right now, Dark Moon simply wants to play around with her. Maybe, eventually, she will come to join our cause. That, however, will not happen as long as she is constantly tied to the past via those pathetic Kadets." Then he was quiet.

"After today, though, we're going to be moving up a notch. Shooting Odd isn't going to be enough. Franz will make sure to save the kid, the pathetic idiot. He needs to make up his mind which is more important, his 'adopted' family or his own life! Very soon he may have to make that exact decision. Then we'll see what kind of a man he is!"

Alice tried to tell Xanatos how horrible everything has gone since she meet him, but hearing William's and Christophe's voice caused her to listen with atenttion. 'So…he is still on the wrong side….William is working for Dark Moon with Christophe. Hmm, I guess I should of given him more attention…And their boss is a girl…I hope my gut is wrong and it's not Emily. She did say she could end up being my enemy…Kill them if they kill Franz, yeah I would. Slowly and painfully…' Alice mind thought as she listen to their conversation.

She did not fight against Xanatos when he pulled her over to the tree. Alice was a bit glad that she had the forethought to put her laptop back into her bag. She could feel her eyebrows lower in anger as she listen to the rest of their conversation. 'Join them? Why would I ever join assassins that have ruin the world I loved, the world that I truly belong in…My past is what kept me sane during my travels, why wouldn't I keep them close to my heart? And that warning….there planning something more! I have to warn Aelita! She is the only one I can truly trust right now…' Alice thought as the pair finished up their conversation.

She sighed in relief as they walked away and were out of earshot. Her tears tried to come back to her eyes, but she fought them to wait. "Xanatos… this world is…no, was my home world. I-I'm torn, and I could really use an outsider's point of view… Would you sacrifice yourself to save your family and leave them in a world full of assassins like those two. Or would you be the one who was responsible for countless deaths, including your own father's to restore everything to how it once was?" Alice asked, her voice barely a whisper. Her eyes swam with tears as she waited for him to answer.

A dark look crossed Xanatos's face at Alice's question. "Are you… seriously asking me that question? Me… who thought he was killing himself in order to protect everything he cared about and treasured? For me, my life is nothing if it can save the lives of those who care about me. I'll be honest. Things change, and in my life, I've always had to deal with that fact. There is no going back, no making things the way they once were. All you can do is act best with what you have.

"But what if I could go back, what if I could rewind time and make it so that giving my life was no longer necessary. Would I do it? In all honesty, I cannot yet answer that question. What would I want? I would love to be able to hold Elizabeth in my arms, smile into my beloved sister's face, challenge Jeremie to another duel on Lyoko. If all I cared about was myself, I would bring back that world in a heartbeat. But that… isn't truly your predicament.

"You can't get the idea of deaths out of your conscious no matter what. Either the original Lyoko Warriors died, or the Kadets are going to. If you stay here, you allow your closest friends and family to die. The Aelita here, is not your Aelita. The Jeremie, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, even William. They are all dead. However, these new people will die if you reverse the world back. This version of Aelita, this Elizabeth, this Milly Tamiya, all those laughing and happy girls that were celebrating earlier tonight. If you go back, they die.

It is a sad dilemma, and I can almost guarantee XANA did it on purpose. If this wasn't your homeland, you might have been willing to settle down and live happily here. It is a wonderful world Your world was not this good, but holds things you don't want to give up. This is a better world, of that much I am quickly becoming convinced. However, if you stay here, you are abandoning your friends."

Alice sat down on the ground once more and pulled her knees into her chest. She grabbed the sides of her head as the mental struggle she faced was clear on her face. "I know… I just… I'm not a God! I'm just a lonely girl who grew up alone, who had her adopted family become targets of a stupid AI.*looked up at Xanatos.* Er, no offence… And now, no matter what I choose, my mind will never know peace. Do I destroy the past to save the present? OR do I kill the present to set things right? Either way, the deaths of thousands are on my shoulders…on my conciseness… My little Ohana…or an almost Utopian world…My hands will be forever covered in blood." Alice shuttered.

Xanatos sat quiet for a little while before saying, "I think you should find out what it is that Emily is keeping a secret. This world is a basic utopia, and for everybody except for Emily, they were willing to accept it over the old one. In fact many," he paused and motioned in the direction the Dark Moon assassins had walked off in, "are willing to fight and kill to keep the Utopian world. Why is it that Emily, of all people, clings to the old world?

"You only see people's views of this world. That… might help… in some way. At the very least, it is a start. Investigation is all you can do for the moment." He quietly stared up at the sky as he thought about his master plan from many years ago. "In my world, the only reason we survived my Master Plan, was because I recalled it. Since we cannot count on this XANA doing that, whatever happens will leave scars."

Alice sighed. She knew he was right, she had to learn more about the world around her. Deep down, she knew Franz would of told her the same thing. Alice gave a quick little chuckle towards Xanatos. "You know…you're a pretty deep thinker. And to think I always thought of you as a mindless killing machine, only caring about the different was to kill and punish all of humanity. Now I see how wrong I've ever been.

"Yeah, I'll try to find Emily again. I think she might be back in her room at Kadic. I just hope Sissi is busy elsewhere I don't know if I can handle her perkiness right now…" Alice said while gazing at the clouds above. She wondered if Doodle was watching over her in this new timeline, waiting patiently for her to one day join him. She got up and brushed off the grass from her behind. Her eyes took in her meadow, wondering if she would ever see it again before she began the walk back to Kadic. As Alice began to walk, there was a strange noise behind her. The next second she heard Xanatos screaming out, "NO! NO! NO!" Then there was silence, and blackness.


	6. Chapter 6: The Dark Moon Assassins

**Chapter 6: The Dark Moon Assassins**

When Alice came to, she was sitting in a dark underground area, with two figuring circling around her wearing hoods and masks that were dark red with a pitch Dark Moon etched into them, on the sides of the helmet and the back of the cape.

"Alice Hopper," one of the voices said, the identity totally hidden by a voice masking device. It sounded dark and powerful, and somewhat scary. "You are not welcome in this place. You are a threat to all that we at the great Dark Moon organization hope to accomplish, and we wish for you to understand that we wish for you to go back where you came from."

The second one stopped and stared deeply at Alice, in such that she could only see the pupils of his eyes, which were completely white. "This is your one and only warning. Get out of Kadic Academy now. Go off to some other place, world, city, it doesn't matter. Leave Kadic Academy, or else."

Ugh…that really hurt! What in the un-holy name of XANA attacked me? Alice thought as she blinked her eyes open. She felt her hands tied up behind her as she forced herself into a sitting position. She stared down the two figures that were circling her. She had a look of pure anger and loathing on her face as she listen to what he had to say. She dared herself not to flinch when she saw the white of the stranger's eyes.

"Heh, I hate to break your sad, little bubble. But this IS where I came from. Tell me why I should leave!? What have you guys done!? What is is that your after!? Who are you!?" She pelted him with Questions as she struggled a bit on whatever was holding her hands. She wanted nothing more than to punch them in the face.

"Leave Kadic? Never… Kadic is my school, my sanctuary, MY HOME! You dare insist that I LEAVE it all behind? It is here I found out who I really am, what is it that I fight for, my little Ohana, my family, my heart. I could never turn my back on that!" She said then spat in their direction. "You make me sick…" She said with a growl. She wish her hands were free to rip those mask off the fools and find out the truth of who they are.

The first hooded figure slapped the one who was threatening Alice and sat down next to her in a friendly manner. He then looked at Alice. His eyes, clearly seeable through his hood, were actually light blue and friendly. There was something… kind… about the way that he was looking at her. "Listen, Alice. I…" He frowned. "I'd prefer to actually talk to you without you being bound up. I would like to untie you. However, you will have to promise not to run away or attack me. In return, I give you my word that you will walk out of here unscathed and be allowed to do whatever you want afterwards. Even if it is to head back to Kadic. Do we have a deal?"

Alice took a few deep breaths as she thought. She stared into his eyes, eyes that seemed…familiar, but what wasn't around here. Alice too wish her hand were free, but could she trust herself NOT to hurt them? And his word…how much is that really worth. He could just be the lowest one on the totem pole for all that she knew. Can she really trust someone that knocked her out and bound her just to have a friendly chat? Alice sighed as she knew that she had to take Xanatos' advice and try to learn more about this world.

Alice took a deep breath before she answered him.

"So your going to answer my questions? How can I trust you when you knock me out and bound my hands together just to have this little…chat. And how can I know the value of your words when you hide behind a mask? Plus, you guys are the ones that want me to choose your way of life, so how do I know that I'll truly leave without a scratch when clearly you guys are planning to hurt my family?" She replied, a bit of anger still remained in her voice.

Alice nudged her head so the kind kidnapper leaned his head in. "Fine, untie me. But give me at least one slap to your partner for threatening my family. I can't just let something like that go unpunished." She whispered to him. A glimmer of revenge gleamed in her eyes.

"Make it a punch and you've got a deal," the man said, giving a friendly wink to Alice, before untying her. After watching Alice punch his partner, who simply stood there and took it, he had her sit back down in the chair again.

"Alright, now I have a lot to explain and most of it you can choose to, or not to, believe. The thing is me and my buddy here are the only reason the Lyoko War… I mean The Kadets," he said with a wince. "They are only alive because of me and my partner. Contrary to whatever you may have been told by outsiders, the Dark Moon doesn't have it in for them. But yes, they have tried over and over to kill them." He purposely stressed the word "they".

"Don't be mistaken, me and my partner are members of the Dark Moon, but it isn't what you might be imagining. You see, the Dark Moon isn't an organization. It's a confederacy. There are about 100 different branches, all aiming at accomplishing totally different things. We have a head, who really doesn't have all that much power, but is responsible for seeing that the required work gets done and the rules get kept.

"The rules can only be rules that help/benefit other Dark Moon groupings. In other words, nothing that can protect outsides while hampering Dark Moon. As a result, he does not have the power to issue a command saying the Kadets cannot be harmed. So me and my friend here were recruited, as his secret back-up army. You see, the Kadets keep accidentally getting in Dark Moon's way, but their deaths aren't as of yet considered necessary.

"Most of Dark Moon doesn't care, and wants to kill them anyways. Me and my friend here interfere. For instance, Jeremie's scar occurred when an assassin tried to kill him. What nobody knows is that the only reason his eye got hit instead of between his eyes, is because they guy you just punched deflected it."

The other man nodded his head and said, "My entire arm is about as scarred up from it as Jeremie's eye is."

"The issue is you," the man continued. "I swear to you, I want to keep the Kadets alive as much as you do. However, your arrival at Kadic has started something that even the two of us cannot hold back. If you insist on staying at Kadic, we will have to stop protecting the Kadets, and believe me, they will die. We won't kill them. We just won't be allowed to save them. Their only hope for survival is if you leave."

Alice was shaking her hand from the sting that punch left her. She put all of her anger and frustration behind it. She listen intently to what the kind one was saying. Her smile she had for punching his partner soon faded as his words sunk into her. She noticed his slip in mentioning the Lyoko Warriors, but she shrugged it off as a mere coincidence, like most tings in this new world.

"I see… Then let me first say, Thank you both. Thank you for keeping my family of friends safe. I left here thinking that we had won, that XANA was only a distant memory, but I guess I was mistaken. I could never repay you both for doing what I failed to do."

"I…I don't want to leave, but I want them safe. If I did leave, where would I go? Franz is probability still living at the Hermitage, so I can't go back home. I don't even want to think what could be waiting for me over at the Lab, so that's out. Kadic is all there is for me, but I don't want them to be gone…like Doodle…" Alice fought back a tear from the memories of him trying to reach the top of her mind.

"So what can I do? I want to be with them at Kadic, even if they don't remember me. But I want them to be safe, and know that I can't be around them now that I'm a wanted warrior. And Aelita… Franz may be here, but I can't turn the other way from the promise I made him. The same promise I made Doodle. I'm her sister, and I want to protect her and keep her safe. IF I do bring back the old world, then I will be all that she has…" Alice looked at her feet as she contemplated this turn of events

The man with friendly eyes and the creepy man were both silent for a long time as they pondered what she had said. When the kinder man spoke, he did not answer any of the first two things Alice asked, but rather addressed the third one. "Look, Alice," the man said, looking her up and down. "I need to be honest with you here. I trust you more than anything, more than my life, and more than the world itself. I cannot give you any reason why, nor can my friend over there. Yet, we have come to an agreement."

"I would like to begin by apologizing for knocking you unconscious and bringing you down here," the freaky man said in his growly distorted voice. "However, as I am quite sure you are aware, you would never have willingly agreed to come down here and share this conversation with us. You people are so set in your mind about things you don't understand, you never stop to question the things you have decided without any actual proof."

"We, on the other hand," the kinder man said, "would rather assume that our feelings and intuition come from somewhere we don't really understand. We like to believe that the world is full of secrets and mysteries beyond our wildest imaginations. You see, there nothing that we accept simply because of what it looks like on the surface. The two of us question everything. We are going to strike a deal with you."

"If you leave," the freaky man said, "then we shall give you a device. This device will give you the ability to locate the headquarters of Dark Moon. However, we need you to make a promise. We swear on our lives that no harm will come to any of the Kadets if you leave. If something happens, if one of them gets killed, use that device and find Dark Moon. From there, we give you permission to destroy it from the inside out."

"You have to swear," the kinder man said earnestly, "that you will not use it unless that situation occurs. If you do this, there will be no more mourning. Aelita and the others will live happily ever after. Franz will be alive. This world will thrive, and the utopian feelings of peace and prosperity will spread throughout. All you have to do, Alice Hopper, is leave and never return."

Alice mind split into two as she contemplated their deal.

_What power I would have over all of Dark Moon! I could destroy the people who dare threaten my family. I could protect them all by staining my blades with their…._

_ NO! What are you thinking! Your dare think about taking innocent lives? Your starting to think like XANA! You know you won't stop with just them, you'll kill until all that remained was the others…_

_ The others…they may not remember me, but could I really just throw it all away to protect them? Would I not be a coward for running away from my problems? Impossible! XANA will never leave me in peace so long as he roamed the digital land. _

_ And Aelita…I can't just..just leave her. WHat about what you promised to Doodle…His final words he spoke? The promise you made to The Professor, Franz. YOu swore onto the core of Lyoko that you would be there for her so long as you lived! Franz my be here, but so is XANA! HE is a sneak! THE more protection she had, the better!_

_ Could I live with myself for turning my back on them? It's kinda like what Jeremie yelled at Ulrich about when he chooses the soccer over deactivation the tower. Weren't the friendship they all shared and the fight to save the world the most important thing in their lives? Could I really become the world's biggest coward in their minds…to keep them all safe?_

_ Could I really trust these guys to keep them safe? Could I count on them? Would Dark Moon really continued to leave them alone if I was not at Kadic? If he was right, then there are agents all over the world! Someone out there would know that it was me and attack. _

_ OH! I'm just running around in circles! If only I could ask Franz's option about all of this…HE always knew what to say to make things right. He always knew what to do. IF only I could…_

Alice sighed as she looked at her feet. She knew what she was about to say could mean the death of one of her friends….but her mind made itself up. "Look, firstly yeah, I would of talked with you if you asked. Since I found out what this world really was, I wanted to know more about Dark Moon. If there is one thing that I have learn in my travels is how to have an open mind. It's how I got away from the dark versions of my friends." Alice said as she lifed her head up.

"This device would be helpful, but it won't be needed. I'm staying. YOu said there are Dark Moon agents everywhere,then it would only be a matter of time before I was found. And I could never dream of the constant thought of having to search the obituary everyday to see if my family lived through another day without me."

"I love them too much to simple walk away from them. Family stay together, no matter what. IF I have to, I'll dye my hair, change my name, and Alice will cease to exist here. This war is my fight, my life since Franz gave me and Doodle a second chance at life when he took us in. I can't walk away from it now."

Alice rolled up her sleeve and bared her tattoo. "See this? It shows that not only am I a Guardian of Lyoko, but I'm also it's protector. I swore to stop XANA and to restore Lyoko to what I originally imagined for it. A world you could escape to an be a hero for once in your life. If I turn my back on that promise now, them all that I have ever done will be for naught. IF we must be enemies from here on out, then so be it!"

Alice closed her eyes and hoped she was making the right choice. "I'm staying at Kadic." Her body had a grace of pure determination as she prayed that she did not just sign the death certificate of one of her friends.

The kind-eyed man stepped back as if slapped, while the other shook his head. The darker man said, "Look, I know what you promised, ok? I am aware of your commitments and vows. I am aware of your loyalty and your promises. Both of us are." He reached up to remove his hood, but was silenced by the head shake of the kinder one. He pulled off his hood instead, and standing in front of Alice was William, the man who had shot Odd a few hours prior.

"I was aware of you listening in on my conversation a little while ago," William admitted quietly. "And yes, I am the number one assassin for the Dark Moon. As such, Odd needed to be wounded, or else people would start to suspect things." He narrowed his eyes. "And that never would have happened if you hadn't shown your face. I have never had to do anything more painful!" He spat the words out angrily.

"How can you pretend to be their friends, and yet choose to make the decision that puts them in the most danger? They are going to bring XANA back, Alice! They are going to bring him back in such a way that the one we fought, the one that killed both your beloved father and your fiancé, look like a child's plaything. They are bringing him back, because they believe that is the only way to take you down."

"In other words," the crueler man said, for this first time the voice dropping so that it was no longer harsh or mean. It seemed… and even the voice disguiser couldn't hide it… sad, very sad. "If you stay here, XANA will return and instantly kill the Lyoko Warriors. After that, the entire world is going to burn. Dark Moon doesn't know what it is getting itself into. Otherwise, they wouldn't do this. I, however, am not a member of its official groupings, just this place. And William, who is supposed to be a cold-blooded murderer, can't warn them that innocent people are going to die if they do that. His disguise would love nothing better than such mayhem."

William nodded his head quietly. "I don't really like the job that I've been given in Dark Moon, but if I don't do it, somebody else will. I think it best then, that I be the one responsible and thus able to save any who really do not deserve to die. Listen, Alice, and listen well. If you stay here, the world will be overthrown by this new XANA, and everything you have ever done, every promise you have ever made, will be broken and worthless. You will have doomed the world. And don't think it will even stop there. You won't die. You will still be there, standing above the rubble that used to be this planet, because XANA will use you to spread his destruction across all version of this world."

"In other words," the sad voiced man said, his freaky eyes downcast, "if you stay then XANA will win, and it will be your fault. If you leave, you have our word that Dark Moon will leave you alone, your friends will be safe, Aelita will always have her father, and we will see to it that the promises you made are kept. You will be able to start a new life, knowing that everything you cared about will always be safe.

"After all, the person who is supposed to be killing them is one of the two keeping them alive. Stop living in the past, and start a new life. That is what both Doodle and Franz would want. If you do not, then the choice of which world to save will be pointless, because there will be no world in any dimension out of reach of this new and improved version of XANA."

William nodded his head quietly, "As someone who fought the old one, alongside you, and have seen what the new one will be capable of… If we don't stop it, by having you leave Kadic, there is no hope."

Alice didn't flinch when William showed himself to her. He was always one to have a hidden agenda, so it was only a mild surprised to see him there. Alice quietly listen to their words. She knew in her heart that if they were right. If the new XANA is really going to evolve his evil programming then she had to keep them safe. But to turn her back on her friends? Impossible. They are going to need her help now more than ever.

"Look William, I understand. I really do, but if what your saying is right, then my place is HERE and Kadic. If I were to leave, where could I go where Dark Moon couldn't find me? You said that there are agents all over the world. If that is the case, then someone will figure out who I really am and I'll be too far away to come help my family of friends!"

Alice took a deep breath in before she went on. "If it's my face that's giving it away, then I"ll change it. I'll dye my hair; I'll re-enroll into Kadic under a new name; I'll make a whole new past up. I'll use makeup to hide my tattoo and wear long sleeve shirts. I'll make Alice Hopper disappear and…. I don't know, Sara Smith or someone else appear instead! I've done it before when I got out of prison and came to Kadic. And I know how to make it a strong fake past since I helped Jeremie create Aelita's fake past."

"Deep down, I know for a fact that my place is here at Kadic until the war is over with. And you know it as well. If the only way to save Yumi was to turn your back on her and leave her life forever…could you? Could you live out your days wishing with everything you got that the one who hates the fact that you left, is doing alright without you? Because I can't. I've tried that once on another world and I almost killed myself in a state of depression. I won't go through that again! I'm staying!" She was on her feet by the time she was done. She stared defiantly into William's eyes.

Alice was being serious. She would throw away her past life again to be near her friends and to keep them safe. She done it before when she proved her innocence to leave prison and to join up with the warriors.

William stared defiantly back. "Your nothing like I remember you being, Alice. I remember a kindhearted girl who would have thrown herself off a cliff if it meant protecting those she cared about. You were the kind of person we all looked up, and wanted to be like. Now, you can't even leave a school because you don't want to be alone. You've been working to get back here for years. You don't want to be alone. Yada yada yada. Unfortunately, in case you hadn't noticed, my boss is already aware that you are at the school. That means she knows what you look like, and once she knows that, no disguise can fool her.

"You marched into Kadic and declared who you were to the Kadets. Then there was that party that made it so every single person at Kadic knows your face. Sure, that was the point and there was nothing sinister in Delmas's attempt to make you smile, but it was stupid to go along with it. You need to say something!" he said as he shot a look towards the other man.

"He's right you know," the man said quietly. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. As William told you, we trust you totally. I would gladly lose an arm, an eye, my very life to protect you. I would gladly be mutilated, scarred, screwed-up, if that is what it took to protect you. My life is nothing when compared to that."

Then, his voice grew dark and serious. "But Alice, understand this. As much as I don't want to, if XANA manages to destroy Kadic, then your death is the only thing that can bring him down. As greatly as I care about you, I cannot let your selfish actions, as understandable as they may be, doom this world. I will kill you myself if it comes to it, and then… I will kill myself." He said the last words quietly, barely audible.

William, however, wasn't quite finished. "For you own selfish desires, you are willing to risk the lives of zillions and zillions of people. A number that none of us can even begin to imagine. Maybe XANA setting you to be a mass murderer wasn't as far off as I'd thought it was. If the other Lyoko Warriors could see you now, they'd be ashamed of you." He pointed in the direction of one of the walls. "There's an invisible door there that will lead you to your field. Get out of my sight."

Alice sighed as she listen to William's honest option. "Maybe your right…I guess this forced world traveling has changed me…" She looked at her feet as she talked, not able to look him in the face. _He's right… in retrospecte, going back to Kadic is a bad idea. IF her being there puts a target on all of their backs, then she had to get away from them. It'll destroy what's left of her heart to turn her back on them…. but if it's to save them all until she can figure out this strange timeline, then there is no other option…_

"You know…I never really got a chance to hang out with you before all of this. Especially since I was a grade lower than you, with the others. But I can see now that I should of. Your turning out to be wise beyond your years there Will." She tried to smile at him.

Alice turned to the other one. "Please don't throw away your life for me like that. I already had my heart destroyed by XANA's might when he took the man I loved away from me. Don't be a Romeo….be a survivor instead. there will always be someone to protect, even if I were to die…" Alice spoked softly at him. She wished she knew who he was, but she was worried at who could be behind that mask as well. If Franz is alive…no. HE died long before Jeremie restarted the war. HE is dead, and there is no coming back from that. He is waiting patiently for her to someday join him. Alice shook her head to clear away the sad memories.

"I have to go get my things at Kadic, then I'll go….somewhere. Here!" Alice grabbed a piece of gum wrapper that was balled up in her pocket. She also grabbed a pen from her pocket and scribbled down her number. She handed it to William. "It's my cellphone number. I want…no NEED to be kept in the lop of what is hapening here at the school." She told him. She walked over to where the door was. "Thank you, again for taking care of them. I honestly owe you both…someday." She smiled at them.

Both figures looked at Alice, taken aback by her sudden change of attitude. William reached out and took the paper from her hands, nodding quietly in acknowledgment. Then he looked down at it and back up at her awkwardly. Then he turned and handed it to the quieter, sadder and more moody person.

"Unfortunately, my cellphone is always tapped. If one of their assassins calls somebody, Dark Moon wants to know instantly who it is. That's why we had to meet down here and not simple some place we are alone. This is the only place where Dark Moon has no idea what I am saying."

Then he added, "I wish I could have known you better back then too. Perhaps then, you wouldn't feel quite so alone right now. I have my memories of you, but I am sure they are nothing compared to what any of the other Lyoko Warriors had." He leaned forward before adding. "The Dark Moon is on your side, Alice.

"If you understood what it was trying to do, perhaps you would offer your assistance. As it is, too many of the higher ups aren't willing to trust you at the moment. If you ended up turning on us, it would be too costly. Know this. Though they may want, and try, to kill you they are not truly your enemies. In my honest opinion, both of you are after the same thing."

The other figure said nothing, his pupil-less eyes simply watching Alice quietly. Then, without warning, he reached forward and pulled her into an embrace. "Be safe, Alice Hopper. Promise me that wherever you go, and whatever happens to you, you will be safe." Releasing her, the two figures watched silently as she exited the secret base. Where she found herself was rather bewildering. She was standing in the middle of her secret field. Somehow, those two had know about it, known that nobody else did, and thus built their secret base beneath it.


	7. Chapter 7: Painful Farewells

**Chapter 7: Painful Farewells**

"ALICE!" Xanatos cried, rushing forward and greeting her with a friendly hand-grasp. "I thought something horrible was happening down there, but could find no way to break inside." Then, looking at the look on Alice's face, he asked, "How did you escape? What happened to you down there?"

Alice walked out in a haze. her mind was racing as that hug seemed…familiar to her. She shook her head to clear it as she heard Xanatos voice call out to her. "I'm fine…turns out that they just wanted to talk." Alice said as she sat down in the middle of the meadow. Alice, at first was not sure if she should tell him all that had happen to her… but she shot that idea down. If there was one person she knew she could trust in all of this, it was Xanatos. She closed her eyes and gather her thoughts before she answered him.

"Well, it seems that me being at Kadic is forcing a part of Dark Moon to actively seek out and to kill the other Kadets. There is a chance that one of them could die…because of me coming back. So, I'm doing what is right, and leaving Kadic to go hide somewhere else. Those people… I only know only one of their names. They have been protecting my friends while I was away. I can't help but trust them as they have inside information about Dark Moon's movements." Alice took a breath before she continued on.

"So, I'm going back to the school to get my things and to get one last conversation with Emily as to, like you said, to understand why she is so adamantly about bringing the old timeline back." She said, then looked up at the sky. She could not help but wonder what Doodle would say to her as she turned her back from the front line of the war to go hide away.

Xanatos nodded his head quietly. "I know that it may feel like running away," he said, as if he could read her mind, which he couldn't do by any means. "And I may not be able to answer for Doodle, as I know little to nothing about him, but this I can tell you. However, I can tell you with certainty that often it takes more courage and honor to run away, then it could possibly take to stay. If Doodle was as great as you seem to think he was, he would understand and be proud of your sacrifice.

"As for Dark Moon, there is no guarantee that the people down below were being honest with you, so I'll strike up a deal. You go out and do as they recommended, and hopefully there will be no more trouble. I cannot count on that, however, and will be staying her to do some research of my own. If you want to contact me, simply hit the pound button on your phone. Few enough people do that while call is selected that I should be able to instantly zone in on and contact you if you need me. Also, if you could give me your number, I'll be able to contact you whenever something goes unplanned here. As whoever was done there told you, stay away unless somebody dies."

Xanatos took Alice's hands in his, and smiled gently into her eyes. "We will get through this, alright? Have faith in me, and I promise I will not let you down." He lowered his eyes. "Nobody should have to be alone, as there is no doubt you will be. However, as we both know, I cannot come with you. As this may be the last time we meet in person, I want to say that I think you look like a hero. Even now, standing defeated and ready to disappear, forsaking all your hopes and dreams to do what is best for others, you remind me of the girl I loved."

Alice could not help but smile at him. HE was so… so calming to be around. It as if he knew what to say to make her feel better. Is this really the same guy she meet on the bench in tears? Alice reached into her pocket where the pen was and too it out. "I gave my last bit of paper I had on me to the one guy…"She said as she began to write on his hand her number. "Not just the unplanned, I want to be kept in the loop as to what is happening while I am away. Any sign of trouble, let me know and I'll come running back. Dark Moon or XANA won't be able to keep me away then."

Alice softly smiled at him as he explained what she was doing was the right thing to do. "It's not the fact that I'll be alone that will bother me… I"m used to that between the orphanages I've been through as well as my time in prison. It's just the thought of not being right there when something happens. I blame myself for being too slow in deactivating that tower the day I lost him…"

She looked away from him and fought back those memories. They instantly disappeared as Xanatos brought up a girl that he loved… "Really? There was a girl that you loved? I thought you were too busy kicking us off of Lyoko to be interested. Who was she, if I may ask?" Alice asked. Not only was she interested in his love, but she wanted a normal conversation that did not involved life and world changing issues.

"Yeah," Xanatos replied quietly, staring off into space. "After I became friends with Jeremie and the Lyoko Warriors, before and during our fight against Skyp. She was woman who, during her childhood had been nothing but a spoiled brat and a pain. However, the losses she endured transformed her. She lost her father and her dreams. She showed up one day wanting nothing more than to atone for the wrongs that she had done. I could understand that, and the two of us became fast friends. Our romance was an odd one, especially considering how when we met I didn't even have a physical form."

He trailed off, looking at the sky, tears in his eyes. "It's over now though. All of our laughter, our good times, our adventures. She's dead… and I killed her." His voice tightened as he said it. "When I was setting off the explosions to seal off Lyoko from earth, the very thing that makes it impossible to return home, she figured out what I was doing. She rushed into the area, determined to reach me on the other side. I wasn't able to stop the process, and she was caught in the explosion. She's gone."

His voice was strained as he said it. Foolish, Foolish Girl. My Elizabeth, why in the world did you do that? It was a question that Xanatos had been struggling with the entire day, having just seen his beloved's demise. "You and I are similar in a lot of ways, Alice." Then, wiping the tears that were threatening to run down his face, he gritted his teeth. "Let's get back to Kadic. We have work to do."

Alice listen intently to his tale. IT amazed her to know that even advance AI can find love. She felt her own smile fade as she learn the girl's fate. Alice looked up at the sky as well and felt some tears roll down her face. They were for not only her own lost love, but for his loss as well. It felt good to know that she was not the only broken heart that excisted in the Lyoko Muti-verse.

"I guess…we are. I"m sorry to hear that about her. I guess it is ture then…the things that you love will always break your heart in the end."

She wiped her own tears away and sent a silent prayer to Doodle and the Gods above. _My dearest Doodle…can you help me to find a way to bring happiness into his heart once more? My sweet, svelte prince Odd saved me from my grief ..can I help him find the one who can before I must give the answer to the fate of our world? Please help guide me this day, my Lady and Lord. _She stood up and brushed the dirt and moss from her pants. "Yeah….let's go…" She softly said as she began the walk back to Kadic, next to a fellow warrior with a broken heart.

Xanatos was quiet as they walked, deep in thought as he replayed the painful memory he had been trying to push out of his mind all day long. It was the actual reason he had gone off to be alone. He'd wanted to escape from noise, and talking and everything that reminded him of the girl who had perished because she hadn't been willing to let him go. She'd wanted to come in the first place, and he kept reminding himself that if he'd allowed her to stay with him at the end of the world, she would still be alive. She'd be here with him and Alice now, all three of them trying to figure out the mystery of this world.

As Kadic stretched in front of the two lonely travelers, Xanatos nodded his head quietly. "I need to go have an audition to be the new science teacher. Apparently Mrs. Hertz is retiring and they are looking for a new person." He grasped Alice's hands and looked her directly in the eyes. "I don't know what is going to happen over the next few hours, but I want you to promise me something. If anybody, besides the Lyoko Warriors of course, offers to travel with you do not turn them down. Maybe you are used to being alone, but that is still no excuse to be so."

He let go of Alice's hands and began to make his way towards the principal's office. "Remind me after all of this is over, and I would like to take you out for ice cream or something. There is a place near here that sells the best in the world. So don't go dying on me. It's a date." With that he turned and disappeared into the bustling crowd of Kadic.

Alice chewed her lip as she fought back her memories of her beloved Doodle. If he was still here… he would be over the moon in getting a chance to talk to a nice XANA, one that did not want to kill him. HE would of found out te answer to her problem so very long ago… but he is not, and I must seek it without him. At least I know that Xanatos will be there to lend me a hand.

Alice was startled at the news of poor Mrs Hertz. "She is retiring? Well, she always did joke that Doodle would be the death of her when we originally went to Kadic. Good luck on getting the job! I wish I could stay to have a chance to say, 'I had a science class with an advance AI'" Alice could not help herself but giggled a bit at that thought.

Alice did not flinch away at Xanatos sudden stare and taking her hands. She nodded her head. "I promise… And I was never really alone. I always had my memories to call up when I felt down where ever I have been. Plus, once the warriors of the other worlds found out about me, they stayed by my side and pelted me with questions of the other worlds I had been to.' She smiled at him.

"Yum! I'll definitely be keeping that date! I'll try my hardest to not die beforehand."" She joked as she waved goodbye to him. She looked around to double check that everyone was either in class, or in the courtyard as she began to make her way back to her room. She was hopeful to run into Emily along the way.

However, Alice encountered no one as she made her way to her room. However, upon arriving, she discovered that leaving unnoticed might be a little bit more difficult than originally planned. Aelita and Sissi were sitting on Aelita's bed talking about the party that had gone on earlier that day. It was as if the horrid scene with Odd's near assassination hadn't even taken place. The two seemed to be in the highest of moods, with Aelita laughing and smiling in a carefree way she never had in the former world Alice had known.

When Alice entered the room, the two girls stopped talking and looked at her with bright smiles. "Welcome back to Kadic," Sissi said with a grin, as she stood to her feet. "Aelita and I have been wondering where you went to. Now that you're back and Odd has miraculously recovered, which seems to happen a lot here at Kadic, you must feel a little bit more up to having some fun. I know a lot of good places to hang and I want to show some of them to you. Aelita says you and I should become better friends and says it would do you some good to be around me more."

Aelita looked up at Alice and said, "I may not know the answer to your problem of which place to keep, but I can at least tell you that I am very glad to have a sister. There is so much that I look forward to doing with you, so many different things we can talk about, the kind of thing that can only be discussed sister to sister. Now that the shock is all over, I can tell you that ever since Emily first told me about you, I've been dreaming about what it would be like to have a sister." She motioned with a smile to the bed she was sitting on with a bright smile. "Come! Join us."

Damn you XANA…. Alice mental cursed as she saw the happy pair. She sighed and tried to avoid their happy faces. Of all the people to run into… she wanted to just disappear without a trace… but it seemed that ship had sailed. Alice tried to put a smile on her face as she sat down onto the bed. "I..I wish that we could become closer friends, but I have to leave Kadic." Alice said flatly. She could feel the girls become shock at her sudden announcement.

"I... I have…um… it seems that another school as asked me to joined them over on the other side of the city. They..they offered me a scholarship and my own apartment. I…I want to stay here, but the state said if I stayed here, they would stop paying for my tuition. I don't have any money, so it's kinda a big deal." Alice looked at her feet as she talked, not wanting to see the hurt look on Aelita's face. Alice could feel tears form at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry…." She barely whispered to them.

Alice felt her own tears roll down her face as she listen to Aelita's harsh words.

"I would never treat you like that! If… if you could remember more of us growing up you would know I never thought that! I could never…never even dare to do such a thing! I love you too much to simply turn my back on my sister! We are all that we have back in the original timeline!" Alice shook her head as her tone went from sadness to a bit of force behind her words.

Sissi be damn for being here. She had chosen her past words to hide everything from her ears, but that option was out of the water. She stood up and looked at Aelita. But Aelita simply walked past her. "I'm doing it to save your life!" She yelled at the closed door Aelita shut when she left. Alice shook with anger, but they quickly gave way to soft sobs. Aelita…I…It's because of XANA that I have to leave again! I'm trying to save your life as well as our friends! Why can't you understand how I wish I could stay by you and be the sister I failed to be before….

Alice snapped her head up when she heard Sissi talking behind her. "Your…you want to come with me? But…why would you throw away your life here with your dad to travel?" Alice asked, bewildered. She had a funny feeling that Sissi was the one Xanatos said to bring along with her….

"That is why," Sissi replied quietly, motioning to the closed door. "Although many people may think me slow, and who am I to argue, and others may say all I love is a good party, and I do love a good party more than practically anybody else in the entire world, what I love most is making people smile. You go out there, now, like this, and you aren't going to last a day.

"Suicide, massive depression, loss of will to fight, any number of things can happen to you out there. You need somebody to encourage you when you are down, lift you up when you feel like you are going to collapse, and be there for you when nobody else can be. I would be honored to be that person."

Sissi was quiet as she added. "I've always known something weird was going on around this place. For some reason, I'm one of the few who do. Many people just tend to forget that these horrid things happen. When I choose to, I find that I can forget them as well. Mention Odd being shot to random passerbyers and you will get vastly different stories. None of them will have anything to do with a near death experience however.

"It could be that, and I've had the feeling since you arrived here, that all the mysterious have to do with you. That fight right there with Aelita, and you talking about how she doesn't remember the 'original timeline' seems to say that this world… isn't the way it is supposed to be. Something about you is going to answer all of the questions I have been wondering for the last several years. I need to know. So I am coming with you."

Alice listen to what Sissi had to say and could not help herself but to agree with what she was saying. She hasn't felt this sad since she lost Doodle. Alice sighed in defeat. Hearing her say that she is noticing the differences is what had finally convinced her. "Alright then…" Alice said to her. She tried to put on a small smile towards her new traveling companion."If you are really sure, really…REALLY sure. Especially since we will be under constant threat of someone trying to kill us I have to check… ARE YOU sure!" Alice asked, not wanting her to have regrets for leaving everything behind.

"IF you are, then go pack. But pack lightly! With the money I do have, we will be mainly moving by foot. And if the past that I know is any indication, then you should know that your going to carry your own weight." Alice informed her, not forgetting all of her bags she brought with her to the lake. "I have to still talk to Emily before we leave. Then leave some notes for the others, especially Aelita…she deserves to know the truth of why I'm doing this… WE will meet back here in about an hour, alright?" She asked her.

Sissi raised her eyebrows. "Only an idiot would go on the run with more than the bare essentials. You don't need to tell me that. And of course I'm sure that I want to come. I am not willing to let some girl who seems quite capable of hurting herself run out into the wild by herself. Oh, and I think I would recommend starting with the truth the next time you consider lying to a friend." she looked at the closed door quietly. "Otherwise, you might never get the chance." Turning to go, she added, "You can leave a note if you want, but you did just lie to her. You think she's going to trust a note when you can't even tell her the truth while looking at her?"

She opened the door and came face to face with Emily. "Hello," she said with a nod of her head. "Alice wanted to talk to you before she left."


	8. Chapter 8: Secrets From Beyond

**Chapter 8: Secrets From Beyond**

Emily's eyes rose, and her eyes shot in Alice's direction. The friendly look she'd had since encountering Alice darkened into a frown. "Leaving? How can you possibly think of leaving at a time like this? Do you plan on letting XANA win?" She narrowed her eyes. "Running away will not fix this mess Diane. Sooner or later, you are going to have to make a choice. You cannot do that if you aren't around." Emily grabbed Alice's hand rather forcefully and said, "Come with me. There is something that I need to show you."

"No, I don't plan on letting that poor excuse of digital scrap to win! I'm planning on trying to keep everyone safe! So long as I'm at Kadic, the others have large targets on their backs!" She started to say as Emily reached out and pulled her hand. "Oh, what now? What could of just happen?' She asked raising an eyebrow up at her, worriedly.

"Don't you understand why whoever has talked you into this wants you away so badly?" Emily asked as she shook her head in Alice's direction. "I don't understand much besides this. The only way to switch back to the old world is to BE AT KADIC! Therefore, by leaving you are basically choosing this world over the other one."

"As for what has happened, I am going to show you exactly why I am unwilling to accept this reality as the true reality. I don't talk about it, so nobody at Kadic knows about this. Before you turn and run with your tail between your legs, however, I need to show it to you. Now come on!" Emily said impatiently, attempting once again to pull Alice from the room.

Alice mind race at that thought. _Could..could William have staged all of that to force her away? Could he be celebrating with the other one over the fact that I"m leaving Kadic to keep them all safe? He seemed so sincre in his words…and the masked one, what about his injury he recieved saving Jeremie? OH! When did my life become such a giant ball f stress and worry!_ Alice sighed and let Emily take her to wherever she was so determined to show her. "Alright, lead the way…"

Unbeknownst to the two people walking below they were both being followed and watched. From one of the dorm rooms above, Milly Tamiya was watching them, her frown deepening immensely. She'd heard Aelita's crying and had gone to investigate. Now she simply watched Emily and Alice quietly from behind the blinds of her window. Also, walking behind Alice and Emily, not really attempting to hide but also not really being noticed, was Sissi.

The group made their way out of Kadic Academy and began to walk down the streets towards the center of town. As they did, Emily looked at Alice questioningly. "When I told you earlier that you and I might not be friends next time we met, I wasn't implying that I would forget any of this. I always remember everything." Then she shook her head as if pushing the thought to the back of her mind to be addressed later. "Anyways, what in the world made you want to leave Kadic?"

Alice felt tears form at the corner of her eyes. "It was William. He convinced me that he would keep everyone safe for me while I ran. I wanted to stay, really I do want to be here to protect them…. But he said that me being here will cause Dark Moon to go into open warfare and kill them. HE and is partner who claimed to have saved Jeremie's life that day he got that scar above his eye. IF me being here is going to cause their deaths, then I had no other option! No amount of disguises can hide me now that they know my face." Alice quickly confessed to her.

Emily stopped for a moment and muttered something that seemed like it could possibly have been cursing under her breath. She looked at Alice hesitantly, clearly not wanting to say what she was about to tell Alice. "I made a commitment that I would never lie to you. As such, I have no choice but to tell you… William is most likely telling the truth. For the longest times, I've had a feeling he was looking out for the Kadets. Whenever it came to anybody else, it took one shot and the person was killed instantly. With the Lyoko Warriors, despite the number of times he shot at them, they were only ever gravely injured. Never once did one die."

At that moment, she came to a stop. "We're here." In front of them stretched a massive facility entitled "The Woolly Mammoth Mental Institution." Motioning for Alice to follow her, she walked up to the front door and strode inside. Alice sighed as she looked down at her feet What is she really going to do… her mind was having an internal fight but it abruptly ended when Emily told her that they were there.

Alice looked up and took in the massive building. "The Woolly Mammoth Mental Institution? Why are we here? Your not having me be admitted…are you?" Alice asked, knowing that wasn't the reason they where there. Alice adjusted her glasses onto her face, took a big cleansing breath, and followed Emily and Sissi inside.

As they entered the building the people inside looked at Emily and waved like she was an old friend that they saw quite often. "I want to see him," Emily said simply, not specifying who, and with the obvious expectation of being admitted immediately. To Alice's surprise, they were. "This way Ms. LeDuc," one of the nurses said, motioning to a locked door. Upon opening it, she said, "Makes sure your friends don't wander off. You know that we aren't actually supposed to let people go throughout without authorization."

"Of course, Dorothy," Emily said with a nod, addressing the woman who Alice was pretty sure should probably have been called Dr. and then addressed with a last name. Emily seemed to know all of these people intimately. She strode forward to one of the doors and looked at it cautiously. Looking back at Alice, she quietly said, "You've got to promise me, Alice. What you see here…" Then her mind registered the word_ friends_. Turning to look behind her, she noticed Sissi standing there looking utterly bewildered.

Emily, who was obviously too distracted to really care, brushed off the question. "The two of you need to promise me that what you see on the other side of this door won't go beyond this building."

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Sissi replied earnestly. Then, after getting Alice's promise as well, Emily pushed open the door.

Inside sat a man wearing the typical white outfit on the insane asylum inmates. He looked to be in his mid-forties and his chin was covered in a lit amount of beard. His eyes appeared zoned out and he stared blankly at the wall in front of him, as if totally lost to the world in every possible way. "Sissi, Alice, I want to introduce you to Alexander Winter, director of world-renowned Hospital of Horrors, and… my father."

Alice gasped as she took in the sight of the man in front of her. Her hand covered her mouth as everything started to fall into place. She looked over at Emily with new found sympathy and respect for her. "I… er..um.. Oh Emily… I" Alice mumbled not knowing what to say to her.

"He was this one from the moment this world began," Emily said bitterly. "Apparently an "accident" happened before during the timeline that didn't exist, and he ended up like this. But that isn't even the half of it. *That* is only the beginning of why I can never escape this world. Don't deceive yourself into thinking you are the only one who loses from this mutation."

"I…I...I'm sorry…."Alice said as she looked away from her. She sighed as she looked back at her. "I would never of dreamed that I was the only one. This world is just…I don't know…" Alice fumbled over her words as she tried to figure out what to say.

"My mother used to use the word perverted, twisted, messed-up. You heard Sissi here. This world is about forgetting, about running away from the truth. Bad things vanish from people's minds, and violent occurrences are forgotten. The entire existence of every single person on this planet, except for the ones who fight to either kill or survive, is a lie. And you, Diane, know that."

Alice crossed her arms across her chest. "Of course I know that! I've been fighting XANA ever since Franz saved me from that orphanage. And I really don't like that name! It has and always be Alice." Alice angrily told her. She took a deep breath before she went on. "Your mom sounded to be a very wise women…" Alice said to her.

"Alice was your disguise, your "fake" name as it were. Me, I am sick and tired of disguises. So I will call you by your real name. And note the emphasis on "was". You are quite right. She was a wise woman. That is exactly why this world had no place for her, and she is now 6 feet under!" Her eyes flashed back at Alice dangerously.

Alice puffed her chest and crossed her arms across her chest. IF she must be Diane here for her then fine! But Alice is her REAL name! It's the name Franz signed when he adopted her. It's the name her real mother gave her before she died from complications. It's her name and nothing will ever change that.

Alice flared her nostrils a bit, then slowly calmed down. Her name problem means nothing as compared to what Emily must be going through. Alice slowly lower her arms and looked away from her. She rubbed her arm as she stared down the floor. "My condolences about your mom…" She said softly at her.

"You want to know what happened to her?" Emily asked coldly, her eyes narrowed on Alice with a dangerous coldness. "Your 'hero that you couldn't possibly thank enough' William Dunbar. Whether or not he has your friends' best interests at heart, and I believe he does, he is still an assassin. My mother was one of those people that he was chosen to assassinate. So as you tell me how grateful you are to him, all that flashes through my mind is the day that he STOLE MY MOTHER FROM ME!" She fell silent for a second. "And do you know why they did that? Because she wasn't a coward like you are ending up being."

Alice felt each word Emily say cut her at her core. She was a fool to even think to turn tail and run. She had let William talk her out of staying where she now sees where she was and needed to be…Kadic. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes as she sank down the wall she collapsed into a ball. as everything came crashing down onto her. "I…I'm such a fool to even think of running now. All I could think about is how they would be safe. They would still be together. But your right, I'm the world's biggest coward! And here I thought that so long as they were safe then nothing else matter… I'm sorry." Alice confessed her heart out to her.

"It's the Dark Moon," Emily replied quietly. "They run this world through manipulation and betrayal. When we arrived here, my mother, Odd, and I all clung with a passion to that old world. Most everything I know about you comes from Odd. All three of us were horrified by what had happened to my father. Odd, he always claimed you'd return and set us free. My mother wasn't such a believer.

"She thought that if the world was to be changed, she'd need to do it. She went around encouraging people to remember, convincing people not to forget. There was a better world, a real world. She thought that if enough people remember, it might upset the balance of this world, destroy it, and bring back reality. Odd and I agreed with her. The Dark Moon threatened and warned us, telling us to back off and leave well enough alone.

"My mother decided to go public, hold a giant meeting and call out to the world. She wanted to curse this world, crush its illusions and help people remember the truth, back when it was still possible. The night before it happened, the Dark Moon had her assassinated. Odd and I didn't have the wisdom or knowledge my mother did, and though we attempted to convince the world, we failed.

"Odd, driven by the grief of losing my mother, my father and his hero, and your lack of returning, gave in to the illusions of this world and forgot it all. If he were to look at me now, all he'd know is that I am a schoolmate. The bad memories of this world are gone, as is all the time we spent together. When Odd forgot, I had nothing left.

"My father, mentally dead. My mother, murdered by Dark Moon. The boy I loved, forgetting I even existed. I wanted to join the ignorance, but my mother's dead figure has been etched in my mind ever since I opened the door to her room and saw William… shoot her in the head." She trailed off the memory etched into her head.

Alice listened intently at Emily's tragic past. "Emily…" She said as she stood up. Confidence that she was making the right choice at last lifted up her spirits. Smiling she turned towards. Emily. "Tell me what I have to do to restore the old world. I have had enough of the tragedies of this one and want things to be back to what they were. I'll bear the cross of killing the people of this world who aren't allowed to come back. My mind is set now, and there is nothing I can see that nothing will change me more than to hear a women I barely knew; a women who had the greatest amount of courage I have ever seen; your mom's tragic tale."She held out her hand as a friendly gesture towards her. "Let's create the ultimate return to the past."

To Alice's surprise, these words did not make Emily smile. Instead, the sad look was replaced by an angry one. "Are you really that much of an idiot Diane Schaeffer?" She shook her head in annoyance. "You are doing it again! This is an entire planet we are talking about, and it doesn't revolve around you, your friends, or even me. I didn't tell you my story when I met you because I knew you'd respond with this kind of bravado. I'm not my mother, waiting for a savior to swoop in and save the day.

"I was waiting for you so that you can bring a fresh perspective, since I cannot see past my own grief. I have my reasons for taking the steps I do, but don't make my reasons your reasons. Because I guarantee you, William remembers everything and yet sees this as the path he should take. Don't you think, before saying 'Emily's story is sad so I will help her', you should also find out 'his' story? After all, is he not one of your 'Lyoko Warriors'? And the only one left of them, because he still remembers."

"Do you honesty think I would just think like that? It's not just your story or the fate of my friends that has convince me to save the world. It's because such tragedies like that exists that want me to do…SOMETHING to make everything right in the world. It's my fault that I followed Franz that night and joined him in creating Lyoko. It's my fault that hundreds, if not thousands of innocent lives were put into danger because I let XANA capture me." Alice shook a bit in anger as she spoke towards Emily.

Not wanting to hear her comeback, Alice turned around and walked over towards the door. "Fine then, I'll go talk to that two-timing little…prick that tricked me. But you should know that I already was thinking of bringing the old timeline back BEFORE you told me about your mom." Alice's voice was filled with anger towards both Emily and William. She slammed the door behind her as she went to go leave the mental institution to go back to Kadic.

Sissi, who had sworn herself to be Alice's trusted companion, followed her out of the insane asylum. Knowing that Alice wasn't going to be in the mood for any funny business, she kept quiet for a while as they walked along. Then, however, she had to say the thing that she had been wondering since she'd first begun to hear talk about multiple worlds, and choices being made between the two. So, uncomfortable, she spoke up.

"Um… Alice, I really don't mean to be a bother, but there is something that I need to know. If you, as you seem determined to, bring back this other world… I'm not going to be in it, am I? Or at least, not this me. The look you gave me when we first met was more than just surprise. I'd been wondering about it, but think I know now. I'm not like this where you came from. In other words… when you bring back that other world… am I going to die?"

Alice walked aimlessly through town. She needed time to clear her head. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts, but at Sissi's sudden questions she stopped and looked over at her. IF Sissi was really going to help her, then she deserves to know how Alice felt about the real Sissi. She walked over towards a local cafe'.

"Let's talk about that over a cup of tea… I know that I really need my herbal tea right about now…" She said to her as she walked over towards a table. Alice ordered a pot of hot water and some mugs. She let Sissi order whatever she wanted. As they waited, Alice decided to tell Sissi everything.

"Well….you'll be there…just not like this. Back in the real timeline of this place, we never could see eye to eye. We were… well different. You were pretty much pure opposite of who you are now." Alice started to say to her. The pot of water came as Alice kept her fingers busy pulling out a small metal case. She opened it, and pulled out two hand-made tea bags. She put them into the water as she waited for them to brew. "Hmm… Looks like I'll have to make more soon…" Alice mumbled to herself as she put the case away.

Sissi was quiet, nodding as Alice confirmed what she had been thinking. "What that means is that a person who is totally not me is over there, and I will simply stop existing. Meaning, your plan to bring the world back to its original manner, will kill me. In the same way that the people you know here aren't the people you know, I wouldn't be. In the same way that you would mourn your friends as if dead were you unable to reset the world, I will be dead afterwards." She was quiet for a second as she thought about it. "I really don't want to die," she quietly said.

"Milly Tamiya will too. Each and every person I know, everything that makes this world amazing, will be gone just like that. I mean, if you want your friends back then who am I to blame you? You've seen both worlds yourself, so I can trust you with the right decision. Just, don't act like it is obviously one way and not the other. You act like it is so easy to say, 'Let this world burn', and imagine the murders of this world.

"But were there really no evil people in yours? Were there not countless people who stood up for what they believed and were killed as a result? I mean… you know those aren't the only kind of people here. What about people like me…? Are you really ok with killing us?" Her eyes were wide as she looked discouragingly at Alice. "People who want nothing more than to be your friends?"

Alice took a sip of her tea as she listen intently at Sissi. "I don't want you to die as well. If there was a way to save what makes each world great, and eliminate what's wrong about both… then I would in a heartbeat. This…choice that lays at my feet is something I take seriously. It's one of my few decisions in my life that I'm carefully weighing both sides instead of my usual idea of follow the smarter one."

She took another sip to calm her nerves before see looked up at Sissi's face with some tears in the corner of her eyes. "Actually… Your'e one of the reasons that I could want this world to stay this way.I deeply and honestly don't want to lose you. Oh… why did I have to come back home!" She let out a sob and fell onto the table.

"Everything seemed so right in the world… I would go to a world, fight against that horrible AI, then get dragged off towards another world when that version of the AI thought it would be the one to kill me. Sometimes… I wish he would…" Alice said, mostly to the table below her face as she spilled out her deepest secretes to Sissi.

As Sissi listened, she grew more and more curious and bewildered. "AI? World to world? So… you are saying there is an evil AI who has it out for you, and has been yanking you from world to world trying to kill you. Also, this world was originally yours before… I'm assuming… he did something to it. In other words, you don't have demon powers. Contrariwise, your opponent does. How in the world have you managed to stay alive this long?"

Then she shook her head and said, "Also, may I ask what the present was that Yumi gave you. Since we are now partners in whatever is going on here, I'm allowed to know what it was, right?" Upon being told that it hadn't yet been opened, Sissi's eyes widened. "You got a secret present that required a solemn oath not to let the world know about, and you are trying to make sense of this world, and you haven't even opened the present yet? I suggest that you do it now."

Alice wiped her tears from her eyes as she looked up at Sissi. "Yeah…that pretty much sums it all up." Alice smiled up at her. "I wish I knew how I've survived this long… all the worlds seem to blur across my mind. All the faces I have had the chance to meet… All the different friends I now keep close to my heart… All the attacks that infernal AI has tried to kill me with… I'll never forget. This place may feel like a whole new world to me, but I'm still glad to be home. I guess I've last this long because of sheer dumb luck and great friends there to support me. " Alice looked up into the sky as she recalled her past in her mind.

"That present…." Alice mumbled as she reached into her new purse she had gotten from the party. She pulled it out and examined the small box. "Well….I did promise Yumi not to show it to other people… but your right. If I have only a few people to trust in this whole, crazy world… I"m glad that your one of them." Alice smiled at her. She slowly began to unwrap the gift of her once beloved friend.

To Alice's bewilderment, and to Sissi's, what they found when they unwrapped the box… was another wrapped present. This one, however, was from Odd Della Robbia. Sissi blinked as she stared at the present and then looked up to see Alice's reaction. "Am I the only one who thinks it strange that she wrapped somebody else's present as a present and gave that to you as a present from her?"

After staring at it for what seemed an eternity, Sissi raised her eyebrows and said, "Since you seem a bit taken aback by all of this, I am starting to wonder if Odd Della Robbia meant something really special to you way back when. I just don't understand though. Why would Yumi wrap Odd's present before giving it to you? Why wouldn't Odd just do it himself?"

Alice shook a bit with the gift in her hand. Tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes as she starred down the puprle clad gift. "Odd…" She said with a soft sob. Her mind filled with the memories she held close to her heart of trying to win over his heart…to break free of the friend-zone he always put her…. The kiss they shared before she was ripped away by XANA… Alice wiped away the tears from her eyes as she looked up at Sissi. "I wish I knew why she would do that… I wonder if Odd just couldn't face me or something…" Alice wondered as she looked over the gift. "Well, its not going to open itself up…" Alice smiled as she carefully unwrapped it.

Inside was a letter and a package. The letter, upon opening it, read,

"My dearest Alice. For many reasons I shall soon explain, I have chosen to forget everything. After the death of Mrs. DeLuc, I have little faith in a happy resolution of this issue. More than that, my hope that you will one day return has finally died out. I cannot wait in this pain any longer, especially now that it has become clear to me, that even if you do return, you will never be mine. All the same, I do not wish to abandon you and send this letter and gift as my parting words to you. I pray that though I may not remember you, you will always look back on me fondly, wherever you are.

"I send you some warnings. First of all, things are not as simple as one may think. Emily is blinded by hate, but also by a promise she made me to allow you to choose on your own. Franz Hopper… you must make your arrival clear to him, but do not risk yourself as I am not truly positive of what he may do. I expect that by the time you open this, you will have encountered both William and Emily.

"If there is one person in this world you can trust, it is William. I say that despite knowing that he killed the closest adult friend I have ever had. Everything is does is for you. He is your protector more than I have ever been. Dark Moon, in many ways, is not your enemy. However, they are not going to risk you finding out some of their secrets, and may try to kill you. Don't try and restore my memories, Beloved, as I gave them up of my own free will."

At the bottom of the letter Odd had signed his name and written, "I have faith in you, Alice. And I love you. Goodbye."

"Odd…. Oh, my little, Sveltety…" Alice said softly as tears rolled down her face. She could feel her heart breaking under his written words. Alice carefully set the note aside as she fell onto her arms on the table. Soft sobs escaped her body.

"Odd…why… why couldn't you held onto me… why can't you come back to me… why…" Alice mumbled to herself. Alice felt like the world would end right then and there. Her heart had been broken before by XANA killing Doodle…but to receive this. To know that he choose to forget her, to let his faith in her die out when that faith was all she had to keep her going from world to world. It was because she knew he was waiting for her that gave her strength to fight against XANA…. the knowledge that there was a light at the end of the tunnel she was thrush upon.

But now…now that tunnel's light was out. There was nothing for her to hold onto, nothing to fight for… Alice lifted her head and stared down at his gift. She debated if she really wanted to see the last gift he will ever give her. The last gift of the feline warrior that stole her heart and helped her heal…at least, until today. Carefully, she picked it up and began to unwrap it.

For somebody who wanted to forget, the present was a bit surprising. It was one of those glass picture-holders that swerved like ~~~~ with pictures in each part. The first picture was of the first time that Alice had met Odd. The second was of Odd and her smiling into each other's faces, long before he'd been willing to admit he loved her. The third picture was of all the Lyoko Warriors embracing happily over what they had perceived to be the end of XANA. The fourth picture was a picture of a barbeque that she'd had with William and Odd, one of the very few times she'd spent time one-on-one with William. The fifth picture was of Odd holding Alice tightly as they kissed. The sixth picture, however, showed Doodle, Doodle from shortly before he was killed.

That is when things became weird. The pictures began to slide together, revealing that they hadn't actually been made from film. Nothing could really be made from these as they slid together, making some kind of icky blurry mess. This spread quickly from picture to picture to picture, each one making the images of the others more of a mess of colors. Then they reached Doodle's picture and the colors exploded all over it.

What remained looked more Picasso than human. The ears were at different heights on the side of the head, about six inches apart from one another with one smaller than the other. The mouth was at an angel rather than straight. The skin's color looked like a pallet from white to peach skin color, with the change in color quite visible on the face. The hair looked somewhat normal, though parts were wavy, others curly, and other straight. Plus the hair seemed to be all imaginable human hair colors. The most surprising thing however, were his eyes. One was much bigger than the other, and the eyes were offset instead of even. The more eerie thing, however, was that his pupils were pure white.

Alice dropped the picture as it all changed. She looked at it carefully. "Could it be…XANA?" She mumbled to herself. Why would Odd give her a gift like this with a note like that? Alice had a feeling that the picture had bad news written all over it. She grabbed the note and started to back up from it. "Er…I think we should be leaving now… don't you think?" She smiled and turned towards Sissi.

Sissi, however, simply continued to look at the pictures curiously. She had no idea who this "XANA" was besides that he was evil and had something to do with Alice's travelling. That was all Alice had said. So when she saw the transformation, a different thought had entered her head. "Um…" Sissi said uncertainly as she looked at the picture. "Why does Odd want you to know that the boy is the final picture has changed the way he looked? And… why would he want to look like that in the first place? Because besides mutation, there is no way that could happen."

Alice heard her words and looked at the photos again. "I wish I knew… before it changed…that last one.. it was an old friend of mine that I was really close with. His name was Doodle Hopper. And XANA killed him… If Odd is trying to say that he is alive, what could of have happen to him? And why does he look so….strange now." Alice said as she looked over the picture again.

The pictures seemed to be calling forth memories.

_The second one stopped and stared deeply at Alice, in such that she could only see the pupils of his eyes, which were completely white. "This is your one and only warning. Get out of Kadic Academy now. Go off to some other place, world, city, it doesn't matter. Leave Kadic Academy, or else."_

_"He's right you know," the man said quietly. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. As William told you, we trust you totally. I would gladly lose an arm, an eye, my very life to protect you. I would gladly be mutilated, scarred, screwed-up, if that is what it took to protect you. My life is nothing when compared to that."_

Alice blinked her eyes as the strange memory played out in her head again. "No…he can't be….that's impossible „, he died in my arms… Doodle…" Alice mumbled as she reached for her phone. "That's it! I want answers, and I need them now!" She punched in William's number In her phone. She bit her lip as she waited for him to answer so she could set a place to meet.


	9. Chapter 9: Doodle Hopper

**Chapter 9: Doodle Hopper**

"Um… Hello?" the voice from the other side reminded Alice once again of something else that she had forgotten. When she'd asked for William's number he'd said his phone would be tapped and she'd have to talk to the other person who had been down there, the one with the pure white pupils. When nobody responded, the man repeated "Yes? Hello? Who is this?"

Alice felt her hands treble as she heard his voice, Was it…could it…really be him? Alice shook the mental school out of her head as she put the phone to her ear. "Hi! My name is Alice and I was told that you would know a great meadow in the park next to Kadic for picnics! Especially family sized ones! Can you tell me where it is? OH! Or better yet…can you meet me there? Bring a friend as well!" Alice quickly made up a code since their line is tapped. She hoped that he understood it.

As a result of going around Kadic Academy, Alice and Sissi took about an hour to get to the meadow. When they arrived, William and the white-pupiled man were waiting there for her. When she arrived, Alice was blind-folded and then led once again into the dark passageway. This time, however, she wasn't tied up. When the outside door closed, the blind-fold was removed, and William was looking at her rather curiously. "Before we begin, I am rather curious. From your phone call it seems like you believe your phone was tapped. Why didn't you warn us that your phone calls were being watched before you left last time?

Alice calmly looked at William. "Well, you said that your lines were tapped, SO I thought that they were listening. Hey, you got the message…that is all that matters right?" She shrugged her shoulders. Alice then focused her eyes at the masked white eyed one. "I would really love to know who you are…. I have this… gut feeling that I know you very well form the old timeline. Could you please tell me the truth as to who you are?" She asked, her heart pounding fast as she waited for his answer.

William winced and muttered to himself. "Yes, my lines *are* tapped. That's why you were calling *him*, because *his* weren't. Refresh your memory, Alice."

The man with white pupils shook his head and said, "I am nobody, merely a shadow of a person who used to be. Don't fantasize or anything. A better question would be, what am I? And the answer to that is… a monster. Alice Diane Hopper, I am nothing more, or less, than a monster."

Alice heart pound as she watched his hood finally reveal the true him. She let out a small gasp, but everyone did. Hers was out of pity that he had to suffer this way. Sure, it was a pretty scarry sight, but Alice has seen worse in the prison she was forced to call home for ten years. As he talked She could not help but look into his eyes…those white eyes…could they really be…was it even possible…

As his hood returned and some of the sharper details faded away, but she began to see the man behind the scars, behind the pain. "Yes… I would consider you still human… I like to see the inside of people, not their looks. I would of never have meet Odd and tried to moved on if I only went by our real ages and his small…er, statue. " Alice confessed as she spoke softly at him. "If you can't be a human, then you just have to live the life you want… make your own place to go to in order to be happy…" Alice felt tears began to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Please…tell me the truth. It's all I ever want, or need to know. Please…Doodle, my love…is it really you behind those white eyes?" She looked longingly at him, hopeful she had identified him from the clues left to her by Odd and that photo.

The white-pupilled man shook his head and said, "Whatever you may say, someone like me cannot be considered human. The typical everyday lives that humans live, the things that make them human, cannot be done by me. You can walk under the sun, and feel its glow. You can speak with people, and look them in the eyes. You can sleep comfortably on a bed, and you can encourage people with a hug or a smile. All of these things are things that you would never really think about having the ability to do. Simply because these are things that any human can do, and things that I cannot.

"As for being happy… I live a life of darkness, hiding eternally behind a cloak. If I were to even remove my hood for a second, anybody with any sense is either horrified, disgusted, or throws up. And that is only when they see my face. The rest of my body is a hundred times more disfigured. A lonely life away from humans, living always in the shadows, hiding myself from a world that would never welcome me. A monster such as me could never attain happiness, Alice."

Then he fell silent, not really sure what to say in response to the last question. He turned and glanced at William, reinforcing a thought that was becoming more and more clear to Alice. The white-pupilled man did nothing without attaining permission from William first. This caused some lines from Odd's letter to rise into her mind. _If there is one person in this world you can trust, it is William. I say that despite knowing that he killed the closest adult friend I have ever had. Everything is does is for you. He is your protector more than I have ever been._

When William nodded his head, the man said, "In a past life, yes, my name was Doodle Hopper and you were my fiancé. In a past life, we had planned to be together forever." He fell silent for a second, his head tilting down towards his cloaked body. Then he spoke with pained words, as if forcing them out of his throat with utter misery. "However, that life died when I did." Tears filled eyes, if they could even be called tears. They weren't really the right shape, they were light green instead of bluish-white, and they clung to him rather than sliding down. It was just another reminder of how un-human he had become.

Seeing him cry, no matter the color made Alice act reckless. She jumped out of the chair and hugged him. She did not care how strange his body felt, or how strange his face was… all she cared that somewhere in there was the boy that she loved. The boy that helped her bear through the horrors of the orphanage they endured young. The boy that always knew how to put a smile on her face, no matter what was around them. The boy that she cared for most in her life.

"I.. I don't care how you look. Your here once more, that's all that matters to me. I missed you more than you'll ever know. I tried to keep our promise, but I could never truly let you go… Oh Doodle! I… I always have and always will love you..no matter what. Please don't cry no more… we're together again!" Alice said between her own sobs. Her tears rolled down her face as they mixed with his. They turned almost white as Alice refused to let go, never wanting to be without him.

"We can be together again… like that silly Disney movie 'Lita made us watch… Like Belle, I could care less about the way you look…if you can't be around other humans, then we'll both go find a small corner of this world to live together… Dark Moon can have this world, I want to be the selfless one and just have you in my life again.. Doodle, my soul mate.. my love."

Doodle was taken aback, considering how nobody had touched him like that since he'd been really young. His body was strange, with rugged bumps here and there, and it seemed perhaps three arms… the skin could be felt through the cloak as a sort of sandpaper, the kind that was uncomfortable to touch and painful to move your fingers up and down upon. He winced as he felt her arms around him, and a smile crossed his face for a moment.

"If you love me," Doodle replied quietly, holding her at arm's length with the look of sadness back in his eyes, "then you have to understand that we are going to have to separate. I can't go with you wherever it you is you are going, Alice. That's why I didn't want to show you who I was before… it would just complicate things. But yes, I have never stopped loving you, not since I ended up here so many years ago."

This was a rather strange statement to Alice. If the world had only existed for a brief number of years, as everybody seemed to be telling her, then how could Doodle have been here ever since he died… so long ago?

"I have been fighting for so long, so many years. I can't just turn my back on these people, Alice. The Lyoko Warriors need my protection. And you need to leave, as me and William explained to you a while ago. I do not wish to kill your friends, but can only keep them alive if you leave. You see, I believe whole-heartedly in what the Dark Moon fight for, and cannot turn my back on it. I promised a former friend of yours, one Odd Della Robbia, that I would."

Alice wiped away some of her tears, tears filled with happiness and sadness for him. "But…But Doodle…I.." Alice started to mumble to him before she let him finish. "How did you end up here after XANA forced us apart? I.. I felt you die in my arms… how are you…well… Alive? And Emily told me this world only existed for a few years since I was forced to leave. Please… Please tell me what happen. I want to know what happen." Alice asked him, biting her lip.

"That is why I called you guys in the first place. I'm tired of all there games… I'm tired of being betrayed and hated. I want to know exactly what's going on! What is Dark Moon's intentions? How am I involved? How could you… you hurt innocent people Doodle? And what did you promise Odd? What could it be?" Alice said, looking at both Doodle and William.

"This world has existed all the time, an inter-woven dimension between this world and our own," Doodle replied simply. "XANA thrust the two worlds together, making this one overlap the old one. Which is why there are two sorts of memories, because the two people have become one.

"Sadly, the overlap has been most successful and the people of this realm have overlapped the people of that world. Apparently, when a Return to the Past happens, if a person is not quite dead they simply come over here. I suppose it is some sort of self-defense mechanism to keep them from dying over here or something. Anyways, I woke up from that moment here... looking like a monster."

William spoke then, glancing around. "I really don't know if I even risk telling you this here, despite how it is supposed to be perfectly impossible to be heard. The truth is, if they find out I told you then I am going to be tortured to death in the most horrendous way you could possibly imagine. However, you deserve to know.

"Dark Moon's goal... is to prevent you from becoming a mass murderer. In other words, it fight to bring the two world back to the way that they had once been, seemlessly interacting and not hurting one another. In other words, are goal is to undo the mess that XANA made without killing billions of people. The ones who have been killed, as much as I regret it, had to be removed so that countless millions could be saved."

Alice listen intently to what they were saying. Of course it's all XANA's fault, when isn't it. "But why didn't they just asked? I don't want to be a mass murder! I want things to go back to the way they were… at least..most of the way. I don't want you to leave me again Doodle. "Alice admitted to them. She really didn't want to move away from Doodle, bu she really needed to sit down and rub her head.

"So then…the only way left open to me is to simply run away from everyone I love? Then Dark Moon will return the worlds back to normal… But from what Emily said, I need to be a Kadic. Everything is centered there. It's my fate or something to be there. Ugh… I"m so confused! Why did XANA drag me back here… I"m happy to be here with you my love, but at what cost?" Alice sadly said as she said what was on her mind.

"You are a threat to everything they are fighting for," Doodle replied quietly. "Things can't go back the way that they used to, not really. The two worlds will never be able to be truly separate again, without dealing some serious damage to the population. Too many weird little differences, like Milly and Tamiya being one person.

"In other words, this becomes the real world while the other one becomes more of a back-up or a clone world. You, me, and everybody here now will stay here. Emily… will always be stranded here with her mother dead, just as you would always be stranded here with a Lyoko Warriors that do not remember who you are."

"A different Emily would get the benefit of her real father. A different Alice would get to be with that Lyoko Warriors group. The people who are here and now in this world will always be in this world. You will be the Alice of this world, and the Alice of the old world will be revived but be somebody else.

"Basically, all the people of this world will still be themselves, but not have any of the benefits that went with it. This would only truly be a loss for a few people, since most do not even realize that they were ever in the other world. The few people who would suffer from it are Emily… and you."

There words hit Alice like a ton of bricks. If she was right it guessing what there saying. then that's it…game over. There is no way for her to have the life she dreamed of during her travels. She'll never have her friends in her life…She'll be forced to be on the constant run… she won't even have Doodle by her side since he is determined to protect the others with William.

"So…that's it… No more running from XANA now.. I'll be on the run from Dark Moon. I'll never have my friends with me… I'll never get to have the dream I dreamed… MY Ohana is gone so another Alice can have it. I'll become the Yang to her Yin. The sadness to her joy…And so will Emily. She'll never have her family whole again, Her mother will always be gone. And she'll be forever mad at me for not changing everything." Alice looked at her feet as she spoke, tears forming in her eyes.

"And not only that… but I wouldn't even have you, would I Doodle, my love? Knowing you, you will stay here and keep the others safe. You will support Dark Moon in hunting me down." Alice looked up at Doodle as she spoke what she felt in her heart.

"What a crummy life to land myself in… How could I've been so foolish to dream of coming home to peace and my Ohana of friends. I guess XANA did win after all… This truth will do nothing but kill me inside…" Alice admitted to herself.

Doodle and William both looked utterly bewildered. "Once Dark Moon has finished restoring the other world you won't be a threat anymore," William replied simply. "Dark Moon wouldn't consider you an enemy anymore, and would like be disbanded as their main goal would have been accomplished."

Doodle nodded his head quietly. "This would actually be the ultimate defeat for XANA, honestly. His entire plan to turn you into a mass murderer who killed billions would have failed, and because of your sacrifices all of them would get to live. However… as you can quite see, I am sure you understand exactly why the Dark Moon considers you to be so great a threat. If you chose the other world over this one, so you could have the paradise you have been fighting for, there is little we can do to stop you besides killing you."

William was quiet for a long moment before he spoke. "Truth is, none of us are really sure what the repercussions of pulling the two worlds apart could be. But if any of our research proves true…" he nodded his head quietly. "You and Emily will lose everything you are fighting for. As you can see, there isn't really any happily ever after. Either you let XANA win and become a mass-murderer, or you give up everything you ever dreamed of."

Doodle was quiet before adding, "And just to let you know, I'm not officially a member of Dark Moon. The only person on this planet who knows that I even exist is William. I fight because I believe this is the only possible option. Regardless of what may happen to me, to you, or to anyone I care about…" He reached out his hand and took Alice's, the sandpaper skin scratching her slightly. "You and I are heroes, are we not? Fight with me again, my Love?"

Alice squeezed the strange hand of Doodle then pulled away so she could think. The reality, as far as Alice can tell is that XANA did win. Yes, She does not want to be the cause of million deaths or more….. But she wanted her friends back….. She would finally stop XANA for the last time…. But Emily will suffer as well…. She will have her Doodle back…but is he really all here with her…

Alice's life has been nothing but tragedies…Losing her parents, her life in the orphanage, keeping Aelita away from Lyoko, Losing Doodle the first time, those horrible ten years in prison, the war against XANA, XANA's ultimate attack on her, the strange places she has been…. can she bear to add on the lost of the one dream she had. The dream of having a circle of friends become a mini family all of its own. To be there for Aelita as Franz was there for her. To love the feline that helped her heal her past pains. Her Ohana, her family of friends.

Looking at her feet, tears in the corner of her eyes, she asked them both."When this is all done… would I be able to become friends with the other warriors again? They might not remember the old me, but I still want them as friends. Especially Aelita… I'm her sister is after all. She at least, deserves a happy ending of having most of her family together again."

"Alice," William said with a slightly uncomfortable smile, due mainly to the fact that he wasn't sure quite what to say to the crying girl. "Once Dark Moon has succeeded you can do whatever you want. Sure you would never be able to leave this dimension, but you could settle down and have friends or do whatever you want. You can make whichever choices you prefer.

"You could stay with Doodle in whatever dark cave he wants to hide in. You can move into Kadic and attempt to date the new Odd Della Robbia. Heck, you could even walk up to Franz and ask if he would adopt you and be your father again since you are no longer a threat to him. The sky is the limit."

Doodle fell quiet, thinking deeply. "You sit there… thinking about everything you've lost as if it were something enormous. Not to be cruel or anything, but Alice… you don't really know the meaning of loss or suffering. My very existence, the very fact that I am alive is loss and suffering. Every day in this piece of trash, being a monster, hiding from anyone and everyone who could possibly be a friend. If you want to know the truth, that's what XANA wants to do to you." He fell quiet, not baring to look into Alice's eyes.

William finished his statement. "If you murder all these people," he motioned in the direction of Kadic, and of Sissi who was simply standing silent and watching. "It won't bring back your paradise. You and I both know that you wouldn't be able to live with yourself. Your mind…would be just as crushed and mutated as Doodle's body has been. If that doesn't happen, then XANA hasn't won."

Alice sighed and looked up at them. She mainly focused her eyes on Doodle, a bit of anger began to well up inside of her. "Look, I can see that you are the new king of loss and suffering, but don't you even think my life has been a thing of sunshine and rainbows. You remember the tough life we faced young. The pain of hunger, the endless rise and fall of hope of getting out. The fear of not knowing if and when we might had to move. Not knowing if we could really stay together."

"Yes, we had a small ray of sunshine in our lives with Franz and Aelita. They helped us move on and find our purpose in life in keeping our little princess safe. We battled XANA for her…. at least until that night. Do you know how hard that was to me? Do you know how many times I stood on the edge of that bridge by the factory, wondering if the fall from there would take me to you? Or the time I spent with a knife in my hands? I was broken… not even Franz or Aelita could make me feel well and hole again"

"And then… There was that horrible day. XANA kept me asleep in a deep trance while Franz and Aelita ran away onto Lyoko. I woke to find cops dragging me off to an interrogation room. A lovely 'Anonymous' tip was that I kidnapped you and Franz and killed you both. One false video and a bloody Machete later, and I'm facing two life sentences. No bail..no way out."

"Maximum security can be a real pain in the butt. Especially when there is no women's prison to go to… I was placed around giant men who were serial killers. I still can't figure out how I managed to last those ten years until Jeremie helped me prove my innocence and help me clear my name. So don't even say that I don't understand suffering and pain. you may be the king, but I'm right behind you as the jester." Alice could not help herself in telling him all that has happen since he left her. She took a deep calming breath before she went on.

"I'll do it. I'd rather be here than a mass murder any day. But I still swear that if Dark Moon just asked me and told me straight up what they were doing, I would of agreed. What do you need me to do?" Alice looked at William, as she finally trust him and believe him in saving the worlds.

"I meant you no offense," Doodle said defensively. "I mean, you know that I wouldn't purposely try to offend you. I was simply making a point that unless you were to become a Mass Murderer, XANA couldn't possibly win. You might not believe me, but the whole reason that me and William got involved with a group like Dark Moon in the first place was because we were trying to help you."

Once again, a statement from Odd's letter raced into Alice's mind. _"If there is one person in this world you can trust, it is William. Everything he does is for you. He is your protector more than I have ever been."_

William nodded his head quietly, and said, "Doodle actually knows most of that already. I filled him in when I encountered him hiding out in this meadow shortly after XANA pulled his Houdini act." Then he looked into Alice's eyes and said quietly, "And don't forget that you won't be the only one here losing out if we do this. I had a life there as well, always dreamed of being one of the Lyoko Warriors. But I couldn't let XANA turn you into a Mass Murderer. I didn't know you well, but knew that you'd been through a lot and seemed a nice girl. I couldn't bare for you to suffer such pain."

Doodle turned and stared off into the distance quietly. "I'll be truly honest with you, Alice. I have no idea what is going to happen to me once all of this is over. I fear that I won't find a place in this world when there is no longer need for my protection. No matter what kind of a hero a person is, nothing is more important to this world than looks. A mutated hero would never be accepted." Alice's words about suicide were hitting home to him, as he remembered all of the times he had comes within seconds of taking his own life. The day that William had found him, he'd been in the middle of actually doing it.

"When it comes to Dark Moon, they aren't willing to take a risk. I mean, think about it. If you *were* willing to become a Mass Murderer to get your old world back, you wouldn't hesitate for a second in killing them…" He trailed off quietly as he looked down at the gun in his holster, obviously thinking of all the lives he had taken in order to preserve the lives of billions. "Just as I find myself with the necessity of taking lives in order to protect those lives. If I don't stand up for them… those lives lost in limbo that cannot protect themselves… who will?"

"They can't know that you know their purpose," Doodle said, still not looking up from the ground. The pain in his voice was so deep that it would likely have cut to the soul of even the most stone-hearted criminal. "You will have to do what I originally suggested for you to do, and run. If you do not… XANA could be unleashed… and me or William might eventually end up killing you to save the lives of countless zillions." It wasn't a threat… the misery with which Doodle said that made this quite clear. It was simply the truth. Then, without another word, he turned and headed back down into the underground base.

"No…Doodle Wait!" Alice softly yelled at his retreating frame. She sighed as she looked his way. She could not even imagine what he has gone through since he left her, but she wanted to know. She wanted to be by his side again. If it is in a cave somewhere, then so be it. He was and still the only boy to ever truly claim her heart. He was the real reason Alice could smile through the pain she endured. He was he other half, And she never wanted to leave his side again.

She wiped a tear from her eye as she looked towards William. "I can understand that. The countless worlds I have defended the others as you have…." Alice sighed as she fought back those painful memories. Alice got up and stretched "Alright… I guess I do have to run away from them. I hope you really know what you're doing there William. I'm putting my trust in you." Alice looked him in the eye as she spoke.

Alice walked towards the hidden door and rested a hand on the knob. "When this is all over and we are still all, well, alive. I would love to give you the title of being a Guardian of Lyoko. An honor that only I have now. From that brief moment I had with the others before Emily explained everything to me, I noticed they no longer bear a tattoo on their arms like mine. It means you will be like a moderator on an online forum. It is the highest honor I, as one of Lyoko's creators, can offer a warrior." Alice informed him, wanting him to know that he will always be a warrior to him. She turned and smiled at him.

William looked at Alice quietly for a moment, before sliding back one of the arms of his cloak to reveal the mark etched upon it. "You… aren't a creator of Lyoko in this world, Alice. Remember that. Neither you nor Franz had anything to do with the creation of Lyoko, nor the original XANA. That is one fact you will have to remember, as it may later be necessary when you face life-or-death situations. Here, you are just an ordinary person."

As Emily stared at Doodle's retreating frame, Odd's words within his letter made perfect sense. _"I cannot wait in this pain any longer, especially now that it has become clear to me, that even if you do return, you will never be mine."_ He'd found Doodle and known… he could no more compete with Doodle for her heart than he could stop the sun from rising in the morning.

Sissi, still rather confused yet concerned, took Alice's hand in hers. "Somehow we will make it through this," she whispered into Alice's ear with her eternally optimistic voice. "You and me, Xanatos, William and Doodle. You aren't alone in this world, Alice… There are people who have placed their faith in you, and will fight to protect you until the end of everything."

"I wish I could go with you, ensure your safety, get to know you better," William said quietly, "but I have to be quite honest when I say that I do not trust Dark Moon. They mean well, but the company is made up of cutthroats and idiots who see nothing except for the ultimate goal. Me and Doodle cannot risk letting them off their leash. I just pray that sending you away will be enough to keep them from completing XANA 2.0. Otherwise…" He didn't finish.

"No….that can't be…how is that possible…" Alice mumbled out tin surprise at him. She looked at her tattoo and gasped. It was fading in front of her very eyes. "No…I just can't…I can take not having friends, not being with my family, even having to be away from Doodle… but to not be connect to Lyoko… I…I.." Alice felt herself lean against and slid down. She has never been…normal. not since she meet Franz and Aelita.

Alice smiled over at Sissi. "Thank you Sissi. You're right, I"m not alone but I feel it because of how different everything is from when I left here." Alice snapped her head up when she listen's William's words. "Wait… what do you mean by otherwise? What's really going on around here?" Alice asked him.

William appeared genuinely taken aback. "Look, it is mine and Doodle's belief that you being in Kadic will necessitate a 100% resurrection of XANA. Black Moon stupidly think they can control him, after all. It would become their top priority. Right now, it's more of a backline possibility. We are doing our best to make sure that it stays in the backline, and thus never gets finished.

"It's just… well you already know that Lyoko was created by XANA, and that computer is what Black Moon plans on using. So… since the only person who really has any control over it currently is XANA, and they believe they can control him… it is possible, though unlikely, that he will end up coming back anyways. That's why I need to be able to contact you in case you need to rush back over here. Also, I don't want you to simply hide out. Leave Kadic but stick around Paris.

"As long as you never, ever enter the school for any reason… other than me calling you that is, you won't be perceived as a threat and will likely be ignored. Doodle and I believe all this stuff to be true, but aren't leading members or anything so cannot guarantee it. Stick around and do some digging in libraries, pubs, whatever you can. If things go really bad, you may have to do the transformation we aim for yourself. That will only work, if you know *how* to do it."

Alice sighed as she listen to him. She looked down at her arm with a look of defeat on her face. All that remained was a black outline and a faint yellow color. "Yeah… I'll look around. IT will be hard as most of the books I used for making Lyoko and everything was at the Hermitage… But I guess that place is off limits since Franz is living there, right?" Alice asked William.

"In that case, can you give Aelita a letter for me? Or just slip it under her door. I want to explain to her why I left. We had a fight and it really bothers me that she stormed out of the room before I could explain something to her. I won't tell her about the truth of Dark Moon or something like that. You can even read it yourself before hand…" Alice asked, pulling out a notebook. She began to write as she waited to hear what William will say about it.

_My dearest Pink Princess Sister, _

_ I'm sorry. I wanted nothing more than to tell you this in person, but I know that it is impossible now._

_ After talking to many people, I now see that being at Kadic with you and the others put you all at great risk. There is some really bad people around you all that want me. They want to use you all as ways to get to me. I know now that Odd's attack is nothing more than a wake up call. They are not above using you to hurt me. I can't trust anyone besides a few, and I hope that I can still call you one of them._

_ There is no other option than to leave Kadic to keep you all safe. I have to stay far away so they come after me to keep you safe. I have to do this to keep my promise to Franz. To put your safety and anyone I consider to be my family above my own life and happiness. There is no other way… Maybe when this is all over I can return and we can be sisters again, but for now I must stay away._

_ I will always be just a phone call away from you… You know that I deeply care for you ever since we meet that day when Franz saved Doodle and I from that place. You have and always be my little Princess that saved me from the darkness. Your smile and laughter is what want more than anything to remain pure in this troubled world. _

_ Stay strong for me little Sister, I love you._

_ ~Alice_

Alice held out the note to William. Hopeful that it will help Aelita understand her better.

William quietly read over the letter, before taking the pen and scribbling at the bottom. _P.S. Sissi came with me._ "The two are good friends," William said in response to Alice's questioning glance. "The last thing we want is to have her think something happened to the poor girl. Unfortunately…" he trailed off for a second. "This is going to make her feel even more miserable, since you are allowing Sissi to come with you and not allowing her to." However, he took the paper from Alice's hands and promised to give it to Aeltia. At that moment, the sound of footsteps approaching could be heard.

William's eyes widened and he said, "Stay right here. If that person shows up, they need to see somebody, otherwise they could start searching around and end up finding the entrance into our base. He unexpectedly pulled Alice into a hug, and whispered in her ear, "No matter what happens, remember that I've only ever wanted the best for you." Then he pulled away, slipped into the underground base, and the area disappeared.

At that moment, the figure stepped out from behind the trees. It was an older man with dark eyeglasses that hid his eyes from view. Short black hair and a heavy black beard covered much of his face. He had an expression as if he had been searching for something, or someone. He wore a white lab coat with a burgundy sweater underneath.

"Alice Diane Hopper," Franz said as he looked directly into her eyes. "It's been a long time."


	10. Chapter 10: Encountering Franz Hopper

**Chapter 10: Encountering Franz Hopper**

Alice stood in shock at seeing him. She wanted to hug him, but also wanted to punch him. "P…P..Professor?! I…" Alice studded out at last. She felt tears try to form themselves in her eyes. She gave up on her feelings and ran to him. She reached out and hugged his deeply.

"I missed you so much… We had a fight just before you escaped onto the computer… I'm sorry! I..I…" Alice sobbed out to him. There fight was over something stupid about her not moving on from Doodle's death. She never forgave herself for the last words she told him before XANA forced her into a deep sleep.

_"You just want me to find someone else to turn into a warrior to keep protecting you real daughter! All because you refused to believe us when we told you everything been XANA's fault! I refuse to drag another innocent person into this! Admit it, you never truly loved me, I was just a meat shield for her! I hate you and hope you get trapped on Lyoko when you do run away from everything!" She said then slammed the door onto his face._

"Please tell me what's going on around here? I want to hear your side of the story…. Please Daddy Professor…." Alice asked him.

"Alice, My Alice," Franz said with tears in his eyes as he held her closely to him. Sissi, who was watching the touching moment, began to bounce up and down happily while barely constraining herself to be silent and not mess up whatever was going on here. "Let me look at you," Franz said lovingly as he pulled her gently away from him and looked her up and down. "You know, you really don't seem like you've aged at all since we parted company so many years ago, not physically at least." He brushed her face softly, running it gently over the many miniscule bumps, bruises, and scars that were there.

"I was hoping this day would never come," he said quietly, more to himself than to her. "You aren't supposed to be here, Alice. You were never supposed to come back." He shook his head quietly as he said it. "You should have stayed away. This meeting, me looking at you, was not supposed to happen. I did not want you in this new world." He shook his head quietly as he released Alice and stared into the distance. Then, quietly, he said, "XANA wasn't keeping you away from here. I was."

Alice gasped at him. She held her hand to her mouth and shook her head. "No….no…but why would you keep me away?" Alice asked, her once happiness of seeing him now gone. Her mind tried to think of a reason, but all she could think of how if she brought the old world back, he would die from giving his energy to the Anti-XANA virus. "Please, why would you keep me from my new Ohana, the people I consider my family! You always said to put them above your on life and happiness… especially Aelita." Alice yelled at him, a few tears traveled down her face.

Franz Hopper actually blinked in surprise. "My Darling Girl, do you really have to ask why? Tell me, Alice, have you been happy at all since you got here. I mean, surely you know everything I know by now, wandering around and searching as I assume you've done. Surely you've come to understand the impossible dilemma that XANA has put you through. There are three possible outcomes to this predicament, and looking at your bedraggled face I have to assume that none of them are to your liking.

"Tell me Alice. Which is better, to find the place that you have always dreamed of has been destroyed in every way and have your dreams crushed, or spend your life searching for it with dreams of a happily ever after dancing through your mind? My thought was, as long as I could keep you away, you would always… always… be able to dream. Now, you can't even do that."

Alice wiped the tears away form her face. "Yes, None of them are… I do wish I never came, since I'd imagine a safe world from XANA and seeing Aelita's smile once more without a care, like before she ever knew about XANA and Lyoko." Alice admitted to him. She looked upset as everything wanted to come crashing down on top of her.

"But I'm glad to at least the end is in sight. Sure, I had the dream of adopting Aelita to give her back a family and a future with the others. To smile carefree with them all at one of Odd's silly jokes. To know that I no longer have to live in fear that XANA will drag me away from friends, new and old, at any second to try to kill me on a new world." Alice offered a small smile at him.

"It's hard to dream when XANA has you in a constant state of fear. Yes, I will miss the dream of going to what I wanted home to be. But I can now, at least dream of a life without XANA. And a chance to- re-kindle the friendship I have with the other Warriors. And to, hopefully, find love in this crazy world." Alice smiled at him. She was not sure if he knew about Doodle, so she kept that information to herself.

Franz nodded his head quietly and said, "I really don't mean you any harm, Alice. No matter what other people might have said to you, you are my daughter and I would die for you. The Kadets thought I believed you dead, and that I wanted it that way. It was the only excuse I could give for setting things up on Lyoko the way that I did. The fact that it has collapsed leaves me very worried. Also," he raised his eyebrows with a smile as he added, "Can you imagined what it is like for me? I mean, to have absolutely no power over Lyoko?"

"As for Aelita and the others, now that I know you are here I can begin to create some kind of past for you. Knowing this world…" he chuckled slightly as he said it, "they would come to believe it and welcome you as a long lost friend." Then he trailed off for a second and looked at Alice quietly. "Of course, that would be the memory altering itself rather than making true memories. It would mean your friendship was based upon a lie. So I don't really know if that is what you want the most."

He glanced around quietly before adding, "I have to know something Darling Girl. Have you been in contact with Dark Moon, besides just William and his secret friend?"

Alice chuckled at him as she rolled up her sleeve to show him the faded tattoo. "How do you think I feel? I'm so use to showing the warriors of other worlds how their Lyoko sees me as one of it's creators; even when I never been to their world before."

Could Alice truly enjoy their friendship knowing it is based off of a lie? If it means she can have them close to her again, then there is no other way. Her old life with them is gone now and they will never remember all the fun times they shared before. From late night pranks on Jim, to staying up late to help code different things, to practicing swordsmanship in the middle of the park, to even having a girls night out at the spa.

"My old live with them is gone now. All I want is for them to stay in my life and not leave me again. I may not love it, but I at least can live with it." Alice looked at her feet when she told him.

Alice snapped her head up and scratched her chin when he asked about who she has meet. "Not that I know off… the only people I have meet since I came here is Xanatos, Aelita, Emily, Milly Tamiya, William and his friend, and Sissi here. Besides bumping into Yumi at a party in the dorms and Emily's dad, I don't think so…why? If I may ask, Daddy Professor." Alice asked him.

Sissi looked at Alice questioningly and said, "but you could always start over from scratch, is I think what Professor Hopper is trying to say. He could create a fake friendship where you would always have to wonder if they would have been your friends without it, or you could attempt to start befriending them again from scratch."

Franz Hopper nodded his head and addressed the second thing that Alice had said. "The only person in the Dark Moon I've encountered so far that isn't an assassin is William's secret friend. It leaves me quite unsettled, especially since Dark Moon seems to have made me a target. After I brought down XANA a few years ago there hasn't been a moment when they haven't been going after me or the Kadets. In all truthfulness, I have no idea why. I have absolutely nothing wrong with Dark Moon's world-turning goal, and I've never spoken out against it. So, I have no idea why I am one of their prime targets.

"It leaves me slightly uncomfortable because I have a hard time trusting an organization that seems to have a majority of its people being assassins. The last time I worked for a place like that, it was Carthage, which didn't end well as you may remember. I'm just incredibly wary, and would like to meet a non-Lyoko Warrior. Otherwise, I have no how much we can trust them."

Alice sighed and wondered how to perceive about the others. "I think for now, with all that is happening, that the issue of the others needs to be put on the back burner Let's try not to let Dark Moon kill us all first beforehand. And if it is a big deal now, I think I might try to start from scratch When I talked to them before, they at least seemed interested to know more about me. But let;s try not to all die first alright?" Alice explained her thoughts to both of them.

Alice sighed towards Franz. "I'm just about in the same boat as you. I only just gotten here and, from what I can tell, I'm their main target. I came here confused and already they have gone after Odd. I can't help but wonder if it was a warning to me." She said as she looked towards Franz.

"Yeah, it is very strange. It is why I'm staying away from Kadic. I don't want my presence to cause an increase in their attempts to harm the others. At least, until I get a better grasp on this world and how to set things right." Alice admitted to him.

"I like not dying. Dying isn't fun. I knew a person once who died, and they just laid there being all boring. And I thought it must be very boring to be dead. And if one is dead then they can't do fun things, and what point is life if you can't do fun things? But people who are dead don't have life and that's why they can't do fun things. But what's the point of being dead if you can't do fun things?" Sissi babbled in agreement with Alice.

Franz was silent, looking the two over with interest. "The two of you certainly make a very interesting pair, I'll say that much. As for me, I'm staying at Kadic because that is where everything seems to be centering." Then he leaned forward and whispered, "If I were you, Alice, I would take a trip to this address. It is possible that there might be something there that will help you in this mess that you seem to have found yourself in."

He nodded towards Sissi and then said, "Also, Alice. I want you to promise me that you will take good care of this one here. Her heart is in the right place, but when things get complicated… I find she doesn't often know the best way to respond. And embrace her oddness, because… well… it's the best type of depression med you can find."

Alice chuckled a Sissi before she turned her attention to Franz. "I will. She is the main thing that's been keeping me sane through all of this. I'm not about to let her go without a fight."

Alice pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down her cell phone number. "Here, my cell phone number. I thought I lost you once, I"m not about to lose you again. Can you keep me informed to what's happening at Kadic? I hate to be the last one out of stuff. Like when you and Doodle tried to keep Lyoko from me before I followed you guys to the lab. And I will check it out, and thing that can help me is welcomed." Alice smiled at him.

Alice looked at her feet before she asked him, "Is there anyway I could get some of your old rare Physics books from the Hermitage There could be something buried inside that can help us all. As I remember that the public Library don't have some of the good ones."

"There is no hermitage," Franz said quietly. "In this world, I apparently never built it. I live in the same building as Jim Morales and Principal Delmas do. However, as I said, I want you to head to this address. From what vague memory I know of this world, and I know practically none since I chose not to forget the other world, this address is where I fought to bring down XANA and Lyoko. It just might be possible for you to find something of use there."

He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote on it. "1402 Star Top Rd Ottawa Canada." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a wallet, and withdrew five €500 bills (the equivalent of about $3300) and placed them into Alice's hands. "Take these and order three round-trip tickets. Find somebody older who would be willing to accompany you, since you too young to be allowed to fly alone. Convert the last of those into dollars so you can have about 300 to use after you reach Canada." Gripping the shoulders of both Alice and Sissi, he said, "The fate of the world rests on you two. Don't let us down." With those words, he turned and disappeared into the woods.

Alice watched him leave. She sighed as she wondered if she would ever have a family again after all of this. She carefully put the money away and looked over the piece of paper. "Looks like I need to call those two again. William said to stay local, but Franz wants us to go to Canada to this address. Looks like we got conflicting interests…" Alice sighed as she talked to Sissi. She pulled out her phone and called Doodle's number, the untapped one.

Alice heard him say hi before she started to talk. "Your not going to believe who I just ran into… yeah, we need to talk again. I"m going to need some help on this one…" Alice said and began to explain what just happen with Franz. In the back of her mind, she began to pile up a list of adults she trust for a trip like this. But there was really one name, besides Franz, she knew she could trust. And she was not sure if Xanatos can just drop everything and come with them.

Sissi continued to stare at the money with a puzzled expression on her face. "I didn't know teachers were rich enough to just hand out this kind of money without it causing them a lot of money problems," she said more to herself than to Alice. Then she jumped back as the ground under her proceeded to open up, and Doodle and William walked out.

"You know," William said with a slight chuckle and a raised eyebrow. "We are secret agents, me and Doodle. When I gave you the phone number it was supposed to be for emergencies. Not so you could call us whenever you wanted to speak to your beloved Doodle." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he said this and a slight smirk on his face.

"More seriously," Doodle said with a nod of his head, "due to being directly underneath of you we heard absolutely everything. I think that it is actually a pretty good idea. I would have suggested it had I known the place existed. You see, I've already tried to go to the hermitage and found it wasn't there. I assume that is because no secret Lyoko-building place was necessary since we aren't… the creators anymore."

Alice crossed her arms across her chest and stared at William. "Ack, Go jump in the Digital Sea William..." She mumbled to him, her way of using a choice word to him. Alice sighed and showed him her arm. "Yeah, I"m still getting use to seeing this." She said, showing him her faded Tattoo. "The real question is, we need an adult to take us. I would of changed myself back to my 24 year old self, but I doubt we can walk into the lab and use the scanner and computer… you guys know anyone? I have someone in mind, but I would love to hear your input." Alice asked them.

William raised his eyebrows and said, "You think that two secret agents who do their best not to let anybody in the world know we are here, have a list of contacts that we can call up to go on a plane ride with you? Unless you want to go riding across the world with a member of Dark Moon, I suggest you get that guy you were originally traveling with to help you."

Doodle shook his head and said, "He's just upset that he cannot have any friends and has to live a life of secrecy with me. The world is a place that we won't he won't be able to enjoy until the Dark Moon's mission is complete. I agree with him though. Take that friend of yours."

"I guess I better call him and ask since I should avoid Kadic. I just hope he can get away since he is working at the school." Alice said as she dialed up the school.

"Hello? Kadic Academy, how may I help you?" A soft voice answered.

"Hi, yes, can I speak to a Mr. Xanatos please? Tell him it's Alice, he will know who it is…" Alice answered back.

"Hello," Xanatos said with a clearly bewildered voice. "You do realize that I am not officially working here, and was simply one of the people going through interviews, right?" He chuckled. "You shoulda seen the look on Delmas's face when he gave me the phone. He looked completely stunned. "It was priceless.

"Anyways, how may I help you Alice? Wasn't expecting to hear back from you for a while. And… I was under the impression you were going to call my cellphone, not the Kadic Academy phone."

"Well, excuse me for having the attention span of a Kankrelat!" Alice joked at him. "Look, I just want to meet and talk to you about something. I just don't know how reliable this line is. Can you come meet me where you found me crying n the park?" Alice asked him, hopeful he knows where she was talking about. "And tell Delmas I'm sorry. I'll send him some apologetic flowers." Alice added on.

"She apologizes for calling during my interview," Xanatos said on the other side of the phone, making it clear that he was still in the room with Delmas. "Give me a few hours, and I'll meet you there." Then he hung up the phone. True to his word, a few hours later Xanatos strode confidentaly into the park and nodded with a smile at Alice.

Then, after glancing around to make sure nobody else was there. his face became more serious. "What's happened? Last I heard you were leaving Kadic and were going to wander aimlessly through deserts or something. Now, a few short hours later, you are back at this secret Dark Moon base."

Alice sighed ans sat down on a nearby rock. "Yeah… A lot has gone down since we were last together… Let me explain." Alice told him and went into all that has happen. Well, Almost everything. She kept Doodle's identity a secret since she can tell he wants to be left alone. And since Xanatos is a good XANA, he might feel bad for what had become of her love.


End file.
